Son Joon-ho (Suwon FC), a former Korean men’s national soccer team who was permanently expelled by the Chinese Football Association, revealed why he was detained in China for 10 months.
Son Joon-ho announced his experiences in China through a press conference held on the second floor of the Suwon Sports Center in Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do on the 11th.
Here is a timeline of what came out of Son Joon-ho’s press conference and what Newsis heard after meeting with Park Dae-yeon, CEO of NEST, Son Joon-ho’s agent.
Arrested by Chinese police at airport before departure
Son was planning to return to Korea on May 11 after playing against Chengdu on May 10 last year. After a meeting with the manager for reasons of children’s health, he agreed to return on May 16 and bought a flight to Korea.
I arrived at China’s last airport to catch a flight at 8:30 a.m., but I couldn’t get on the flight because I was ready because of the children.
I searched for a new flight ticket through an interpreter in a hurry, and I made a plan to fly back to Korea at 3:30 p.m. from Shanghai.
It seemed to be a normal way back home, arriving at the airport, having lunch, and buying children’s toys.
However, in the process of auditing the passport, he was informed to wait for a while, and immediately the police came and were arrested in front of his family.
Threaten your family to make false statements
Even before the shock of being arrested in front of his family had already passed, Son was told by the public security that he was being arrested on charges of “bribery.” Confused, Son insisted, “I have never done this. I am innocent,” but that didn’t work.
A few hours after the arrest, an interpreter who was not good at Korean came and explained to Son Joon-ho that he should be investigated for guilty.
Son Joon-ho, who had seen these situations on TV or TV, hoped to hire a lawyer, saying, “I think I will need a lawyer,” but the interpreter explained, “It’s not a big deal. I won’t even need a lawyer.” After hearing this, Son did not apply for a lawyer.
After being imprisoned continuously, Son was eventually taken to a detention center. Upon arrival, Son received threats from Chinese authorities that unless he admitted the charges, he would bring his wife to the detention center for questioning. The authorities even showed Son a photo of his daughter and son on his mobile phone.
After being arrested at the airport, it was not possible to confirm whether the family had made it to Korea safely, whether they had been left in China, and how they were doing. Son Jun-ho’s fear grew.
Son Jun-ho’s first charge was “bribe acceptance”
Against this backdrop, the police once again told Son, “If you admit the charges, you can leave as early as 7 to 15 days. You are a foreigner, you have diplomatic issues, and bail is possible.” Son, who was out of his mind due to his family’s concerns, admitted the charges, accepting that he could quickly return to his family’s arms.
CEO Park explained that the charges applied to Son Joon-ho were bribery, and Chinese police took issue with the 600,000 to 700,000 yuan (about 112.98 million won to 131.81 million won) that Son Joon-ho received from his teammate Kim Kyung-do (Jinjingdao, China).
Son Joon-ho, who had not been able to confirm his family’s safety, let alone a lawyer before, admitted to the charges and was able to check the condition of his family and have his first interview with a lawyer he applied for in Korea about three weeks later.
The lawyer whom I met for the first time said to Son Joon-ho, “I can’t do anything because I admitted the charges. I can only help you if you tell everything the truth.”
Son reportedly threatened his family members and forced them to make false statements, and the lawyer suggested, “Why did you admit to the charges when you were innocent? Tell the truth and reverse your statement.”
However, it was not possible to ask for help and support from the Korean government or the Korea Football Association. Son’s family said, “Let’s get help from Korea,” but the lawyer responded, “That way, I can’t help you with your defense.” In the end, Son tried to personally solve the problem in order to prevent the worst case of trials in China alone.
an extended imprisonment due to a reversal of statements
When the statement was overturned, Chinese police conducted several intense investigations. The public security forces pressed Son to admit the charges by bringing in absurd evidence.
As Son Joon-ho continued to plead not guilty, the number of investigations decreased dramatically. It is said that only a few investigations have been conducted for months.
In response, Son Joon-ho applied for the attorney to show the video and audio file of the investigation process during the public security investigation stage, but only the answer was that there was only the video of the investigation and no audio.
That’s how the seasons have changed twice.
the suggestion of a judge and a high-ranking official
Then, he was investigated several times in a short period of time. Son was told by Chinese police that he needed to go home soon and face trial after the investigation.
At that time, Son Joon-ho had weekly interviews with lawyers and Chinese consuls, so he devised a way to return home through consultation. 메이저놀이터
In the midst of this, the pre-trial judge called him separately and followed him, and Son Jun-ho saw a person who appeared to be a high-ranking official. He said, “You can never go out without charges. If you don’t admit anything, diplomatic problems can arise. You have to admit even a small crime to go out. If you don’t, you don’t know when you can go out.”
After hearing this, Son was in trouble. He talked with his lawyer and listened to his opinions. A few days later, he was able to meet the judge and a figure who appeared to be a high-ranking official again.