Two people were arrested on charges of blackmailing Son Heung-min, one of South Korea’s most famous sports figures, with paternity claims, the police said on Sunday.
A South Korean woman in her 20s was jailed on Saturday night after the Seoul Central District Court issued a warrant for her arrest on a blackmailing charge. She was accused of sending Mr. Son an ultrasound image in June last year and telling him that she was pregnant with his child. She was also accused of receiving $214,000 for her silence.
Mr. Son, 32, is captain of the British soccer team Tottenham Hotspur and is widely considered one of the greatest Asian soccer players of all time. He is hugely popular in his home country, where the news media and fans eagerly follow his performances in England’s Premier League.
Also jailed on Saturday was a South Korean man in his 40s, who was accused of approaching Mr. Son in March with a threat to expose the scandal if Mr. Son did not pay him $50,000.
The court issued arrest warrants for the couple on Saturday, calling them flight risks.
On Thursday, Mr. Son’s agency issued a statement saying that it had asked the South Korean police to investigate the pair on charges of blackmailing Mr. Son with “false claims.”
“We’d like to tell you that Son Heung-min is clearly the victim of this incident,” it said. But it also added that it “apologizes once again for worrying everyone supporting Son Heung-min with a scandalous issue.”
When the woman, identified only by her surname, Yang, was led in handcuffs into a courthouse on for a hearing on Saturday, she did not answer questions from journalists, including whether Mr. Son had impregnated her. The man, also identified only by his surname, Yong, did not respond to questions either.
But Ms. Yang later told reporters that she was not an accomplice in Mr. Yong’s alleged attempt to extort money from Mr. Son. Mr. Yong did not comment.
The police have said that the two suspects were acquainted, without giving further details.
It is not known whether Ms. Yang was in fact pregnant last year.
Mr. Son is also captain of the South Korean national team. He holds the record for the most goals scored by a Korean player in a season in a European league. He was also the first Asian player to win the Premier League’s Golden Boot.
Mr. Soon returned to playing in the Premier League last week after a month’s layoff with a foot problem, and is likely to play the Europa League final against Manchester United on Wednesday.
Choe Sang-Hun is the lead reporter for The Times in Seoul, covering South and North Korea.
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