South Korean police announced Thursday that two individuals have been arrested for allegedly attempting to blackmail Tottenham Hotspur and South Korea captain Son Heung-min.
According to a spokesperson for the Korean National Police Agency who spoke with AFP, the suspects include a woman in her 20s and a man in his 40s.
The pair allegedly tried to extort money from the 32-year-old footballer by falsely claiming the woman was pregnant with Son’s child, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.
Son’s agency, Son & Football Limited, confirmed it had filed a formal police complaint for blackmail and vowed to take aggressive legal action.
“The two threatened the player by saying they would spread false information,” the agency stated. “We stress that Son Heung-min is unequivocally the victim in this case.” The agency added that it would pursue “strong legal action without leniency.”
The attempted blackmail comes at a pivotal moment in Son’s career. The forward recently pledged to “complete” his Tottenham tenure by leading the struggling Premier League side to Europa League glory in their upcoming final against Manchester United on May 21.
Son, who has scored 173 goals in 451 appearances across 10 seasons with Spurs, has faced increased scrutiny this season following a string of underwhelming performances.
Police investigations into the extortion case are ongoing.