On October 11, Son Woong-jung, who is a well-known football coach and father of football star Son Heung-min, was recently fined by a local court for committing child abuse at his training academy.
In particular, Son Heung-min’s father Son Woong-jung, his other son Son Heung-yun, and another coach at the Son Football Academy, was ordered to pay a fine of 3 million won (approx 2,220 USD) following allegations of child abuse.
They are also ordered to attend 40 hours of child abuse treatment programs.
Previously in March, parents of a child enrolled in Son Football Academy reported Son Heung-min’s father and his staff to authorities. According to them, their child was physically harmed during a training camp held in Japan.
Specifically, they accused Son Heung-yun of sticking their kid with a corner flag, resulting in the child having to receive 2 weeks of treatment. On top of that, they accused Son Woong-jung of being verbally abusive during the same training camp.
2 months after the allegations, prosecutors induced the coaches of Son Football Academy for mistreating young players.
Despite being found guilty, Son Heung-min’s father defended himself, claiming that the allegations are mostly false. According to the coach, he simply showed care, desire, and passion to develop the talents of children under his academy.
Meanwhile, Son Heung-min himself once stated that his father forced him to train for hours as a young child.