Son Heung Min’s Brother and Father Accused in Child Abuse Scandal

Son Woong Jung, Son Heung Min’s father and director of SON Soccer Academy, is charged with child abuse, including verbal and physical abuse of the academy’s young players, along with his coaching staff.

According to the legal community on June 27, the prosecutor’s office is reportedly looking into Director Son and two other coaches after they were indicted on charges of child abuse under the Child Welfare Act.

It was a shock to learn that Son Heung Yun, Son Heung Min’s older brother, was confirmed to be one of the coaches involved in the case. Son Heung Yun currently serves as the head coach of SON Soccer Academy after retiring from active duty due to an injury while playing for a German 5th-division team.

One alleged victim testified at the Incheon Dongbu Haebang Center that Son and the other coaching staff repeatedly verbally and physically abused the academy’s young players.

Many were shocked to learn that this child was subjected to physical and verbal abuse by head coach Son Heung Yun, resulting in severe injuries.

The victim’s statement detailed the abuse inflicted on the children by Coach Son. The statement included that on March 9, Coach Son Heung Yun assaulted four children, including him, at a training camp in Okinawa. Coach Son made the kids lie down and beat their thighs and buttocks with a corner flag pole because they couldn’t keep up with the coaches’ demands during a drill where they ran between goalposts in a set amount of time.

The victim claimed, “I thought he was joking when he said we would get hit if we didn’t make it, but four of us got hit.” Coach Son allegedly laughed and said, “I hit you wrong,” according to the victim, who at the time had a bruise on his thigh.

He also reported that the beating left him with a blood bruise on his thigh, and another child who was also beaten was unable to walk for some time.

In regards to Director Son, the victim disclosed that the director verbally abused the young players, including himself, on several occasions, calling them “total lunatics,” and that at one point during training, he grabbed his neck and swore, saying, “Watch closely, you bastard.”

The victim added that Director Son displayed a domineering attitude, saying, “If you don’t follow orders one more time, I’ll send you packing, you bastard.”

Director Son said, “I deeply apologize to the child and his family who have been hurt.”

He continued that the academy would disclose facts truthfully and actively assist with the investigation, pointing out that many of the complainant’s claims were untrue.

“The academy has apologized to the complainant and attempted to resolve the situation amicably since the incident. Unfortunately, we could not agree because the complainant sought a settlement worth several hundred million won, which the academy could not afford.

The child’s father responded, “Director Son’s attorney proposed a settlement of tens of millions of won with stipulations such as a ban on media coverage, a non-prosecution agreement, and a ban on filing a request for disciplinary action with the soccer association. I rejected the agreement because I was so furious, and yelled, ‘If you want to settle, bring 500 million won,’ because they kept raising the settlement amount and pressuring me to accept,” clarifying the suspicions of demanding a settlement of several hundred million won from the beginning.