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Malay Mail
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Malay Mail
Coaching suspensions for Son Heung-min's dad and brother in South Korea after child abuse ruling
SEOUL, May 21 — The father and brother of Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min have been suspended from coaching roles in South Korea after being convicted in a child abuse case involving a youth player at their academy. The Gangwon Football Association (GFA) confirmed to The Korea Herald that Son Woong-jung, the father of the Spurs forward and director of the SON Football Academy, was handed a three-month suspension. The same penalty was given to a fellow coach at the academy. Son Heung-yun, Son Heung-min's older brother and also a coach at the institution, received a more severe six-month suspension. The decision follows an investigation by the Korea Sport Ethics Centre (KSEC), a government-affiliated body. While the Chuncheon District Court had already fined all three men three million won (RM9,220) each in November for violating the Child Welfare Act, the GFA ruling now places them under formal sporting sanctions. According to The Korea Herald, these punishments are considered the lowest level of disciplinary action under KSEC guidelines for coaches found guilty of abuse. The GFA's ethics committee ruled that the verbal abuse by Son Woong-jung and physical violence by the other two coaches were not premeditated acts. However, the victim's lawyer challenged this characterisation, saying the abuse 'took place repeatedly and cannot be considered as actions made on the spur of the moment.' All three men have requested a reconsideration of the punishment. According to testimony from the youth athlete involved, Son Woong-jung regularly subjected him to verbal abuse, while the younger Son physically assaulted him. One incident cited involved Son Heung-yun allegedly striking the player with a baton during a training camp in March 2024 — an injury that required two weeks of medical treatment. Son Woong-jung later issued a public apology to the victim and his family, but denied some of the allegations. 'I admit that I coached the children in a way that was not corresponding to the standards set by the changing trend and the law,' he said. A former professional footballer, Son Woong-jung is well known in South Korea for his strict training regime that shaped his son's career. In a 2020 interview, he acknowledged: 'I beat up Heung-min a lot,' and admitted in his autobiography that his coaching style was harsh — so much so that a neighbour once reported him for child abuse. Despite the controversy, Son Heung-min has never publicly criticised his father's methods. Instead, the Spurs star has expressed respect for his upbringing and the role his father played in his footballing development.
Korea Herald
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Korea Herald
Son Heung-min's father, brother suspended from coaching for child abuse
Son Woong-jung and two coaches of his soccer academy slapped with suspension ranging from three to six months The father and brother of Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min received suspension from coaching by sports authorities of Gangwon Province, after the pair and another coach from the father's youth academy was convicted for child abuse by local court. The Gangwon Football Association recently confirmed a three-month suspension on Son Woong-jung, the father of the Tottenham star and director of SON Football Academy, and a fellow coach of the institution. This was based on the investigation by the government-affiliated Korea Sport Ethics Center. Son Heung-yun, the older brother of Son Heung-min and a coach at his father's academy, was subject to a longer, six-month suspension. The aforementioned punishments are the lowest level of disciplinary actions for those found guilty of violence by coaches, according to regulations of the KSEC. The GFA's committee ruled that the verbal abuse by Son Woong-jung and physical abuse by the other two occurred without premeditation. Both parties have requested a reconsideration of the punishment, with the lawyer of the abused youth athlete saying that the abuse took place repeatedly and cannot be considered as actions made on the spur of the moment. The three officials of the SON Football Academy were each slapped 3 million won ($2,158) fine by the Chuncheon District Court in November, over violating the clause about child abuse in the Child Welfare Act. The victimized youth athlete told police that he was subject to frequent verbal abuse by the elder Son but said physical abuse was inflicted by his coaches. This included the younger Son hitting the child with a baton during a training camp in March of 2024, which supposedly left an injury requiring two weeks of medical treatment. Son Woong-jung issued a public apology for the child victim and his family, but said that some of their claims were not true. He admitted to coaching the children in a way that was "not corresponding to the standards set by the changing trend and the law." Son, a former player himself, was famous for the harsh upbringing he gave his now-world famous son. In a 2020 interview, he said he "beat up Heung-min a lot," and admitted in his book that his training methods were harsh. It was reported one of the neighbors even reported the elder Son for child abuse for what he did during the training of his son. Son Heung-min himself has not accused his father of abuse, expressing respect for him and his training methods.
