Heung-min’s father questioned in child molestation investigation

Son Woong-jung, the father of Korean soccer star Son Heung-min and director of the soccer academy that bears his name, has been questioned by prosecutors over allegations of child abuse, sources said on Wednesday.

According to the sources, prosecutors in Chuncheon, about 75 kilometers (46 miles) northeast of Seoul, questioned Son and two of his coaches at the Son Football Academy on Tuesday over allegations they physically and verbally abused a young player. The academy is also located in the same city in Gangwon Province.

One of the coaches turned out to be Son Heung-yoon, Heung-min’s older brother.

The player’s parents reported the matter to the police against their elder son, 62, and both coaches in March after discovering a bruise on their son’s thigh following a training camp in Okinawa, Japan.

Both coaches were accused of hitting a player, while Son Woong-jung was charged with verbally abusing a player after he made mistakes during training.

Gangwon provincial police referred the case to prosecutors in April, and prosecutors summoned the three accused coaches for the first time this week.

The older son has denied accusations of abuse against himself and his coaches. The 62-year-old also claimed that the player’s parents had made false accusations and that he was willing to cooperate with authorities.

The accusations surfaced last Wednesday, and Son Woong-jung went to Seoul as planned that same day to sign his second essay.

A former footballer himself, Son has gained increasing recognition in recent years for nurturing one of the greatest players in Korean football history. His disciplinary tutelage of Son Heung-min, who became the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot as the top scorer in 2022, has attracted considerable media attention both in Korea and abroad. (Yonhap)