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.
