Son Heung-min's Blackmail Incident and Controversy Over Reckless Personal Information Exposition
A situation has arisen where innocent bystanders are suffering due to the reckless exposure of personal information concerning a woman who blackmailed South Korean national football team captain Son Heung-min (32, Tottenham Hotspur), claiming to be pregnant with his child.
After the court issued arrest warrants on the 17th for a woman in her twenties, Ms. Yang, who is accused of blackmailing Son Heung-min, and a man in his forties, Mr. Yong, who is accused of attempted blackmail, attempts to uncover Ms. Yang's personal information have been indiscriminately made online.
On the 18th, a woman's SNS photo was circulated under the title, "Son Heung-min's Pregnancy Blackmailer’s Instagram Leaked" across various online communities. However, it was a photo of an unrelated innocent person.
The woman, wrongfully identified, expressed her disbelief through her SNS, saying, "Wow, am I supposed to get 300 million won?" She continued, "Look closely at those who are posting the Instagram of an ordinary person and wrongfully targeting innocent individuals. I will pursue legal action for the violation of the Information and Communications Network Act, defamation, and insult due to the spread of false information and reckless malicious comments."
Spread of Unverified Information and Secondary Damage
Netizens are also spreading the assumption that a post uploaded to a portal site's cafe last June was written by Ms. Yang.
The post, made by a user with the nickname "SonicBaby," included an ultrasound photo with the title "The baby’s dad is a football player."
The writer stated, "I haven't told the baby’s dad yet," and "I will definitely raise our baby to be a football player. Just thinking about how they will look makes my heart flutter. We are now in the 4th week."
While some suggest a connection based on Son Heung-min's well-known nickname "Super Sonic," it has not been confirmed whether this post was actually written by Ms. Yang. The uncontrolled spread of unverified information as if it were true is leading to secondary harm.
Unverified Information Spreading as Truth Leading to Secondary Damage
Meanwhile, Ms. Yang, reportedly working in the modeling industry, allegedly blackmailed Son Heung-min last June by sending him a fetal ultrasound photo while claiming, "I am pregnant," and threatening to reveal the information, extorting 300 million won.
It is known that Ms. Yang has a history of undergoing an abortion; however, police have reportedly been unable to verify whether the child is actually Son Heung-min’s. It is particularly noted that the timing of the alleged pregnancy claimed by Ms. Yang differs from Son Heung-min’s side’s statements.
Image Source: Online Communities
