Press conference to announce position at 4pm on the 11th in Suwon
I was overcome with emotion and cried while reading the statement.
Son Jun-ho (32, Suwon FC), a midfielder for the South Korean national football team who received a permanent ban from the Chinese Football Association, expressed his grievances.
Son Jun-ho explained in detail what he experienced in China at a press conference held on the 2nd floor of the Suwon City Gymnasium in Suwon Sports Complex, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do at 4:00 PM on the 11th.
Son Jun-ho said, “I’m a bit nervous now that I’m here (to state my position), but what I’m saying today is the truth and I’m only going to tell the truth,” and “I feel relieved that I can now openly reveal my innermost feelings.”
He then added, “I ask for your understanding if I shed tears because I was so emotional thinking back to that time.”
Son Jun-ho was detained by the police while attempting to return to China via Shanghai Hongqiao Airport in May of last year, and was later taken into criminal custody and investigated by the Chaoyang Public Security Bureau in Liaoning Province.
The charge against Son Jun-ho is ‘bribery of a non-state agent.’
This charge applies to cases where a person belonging to a company or other unit other than a government agency illegally receives another person’s property by taking advantage of the convenience of his or her job. It has been raised that there may have been an exchange of money during the process of participating in match fixing or transferring to Shandong.
Son Jun-ho’s side strongly denied this, but the situation was not easily resolved, and after being imprisoned for 10 months, he was released and returned to Korea in March.
Son Jun-ho explained in detail the process from the time he was arrested at the airport, how he was investigated, what happened, and how he was released.
He said, “When I was first arrested by the Chinese police, I was flustered and in shock. It was especially shocking because I was arrested in front of my family,” and “I was so shocked that I can’t even put it into words.”
“What was even more embarrassing was after the arrest,” Son Jun-ho continued, explaining, “The police told me on their cell phone that they were arresting me for bribery after translating it. At the time, I was shocked and dumbfounded, wondering what he meant. I denied it and said I was innocent.”
He continued, “A few hours after my arrest, an interpreter who spoke Korean awkwardly and not very well came. He immediately asked me what was going on, and when he told me that I had committed a crime and that I would have to be investigated, I was once again flustered.” He continued, “I said that I was innocent and that I had committed no crime. However, I had seen similar situations on TV or in dramas, so I told him that I needed a lawyer and that I would hire one. He said that being a police interpreter was not a big deal and that he did not need a lawyer, so I did not apply.”
Afterwards, Son Jun-ho read his statement while suppressing his surging emotions.
He said, “After a long time, I was held without knowing what was going on, and then they took me to a detention center. When I arrived at the detention center and began to investigate, the Chinese police suddenly made ridiculous charges and threatened me, saying, ‘If you don’t admit to the charges, we will arrest your wife through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and bring her to this detention center for investigation together. ’”
Eventually, she said, “I showed my daughter and son on the phone while shedding tears and said, ‘What crime have the children committed? What will happen to the children if even their mother comes here?’ and ‘Don’t the children miss their father too? So, admit it quickly. ’”
He continued, “After being arrested at the airport, I was even more scared because I had no idea where my family was, whether they were in Korea or still in China, and I missed them so much,” and explained, “At that time, the Chinese police made me another offer. They said that if I admitted to the charges now, I could be released in 7 to 15 days at the earliest. They persuaded me by saying that I was a foreigner and there were diplomatic issues, and that bail was possible.”
Son Jun-ho recalled, “I had no choice but to admit the charges, which I didn’t even know what they were, because I was worried about my family more than myself, and they told me that I could return to my family as soon as possible.” He continued, “Three weeks after going to the detention center, I was finally able to meet with the lawyer my family had hired in Korea for the first time. However, the lawyer told me that nothing could be done because I had admitted to the charges.”
Then, “I told him everything that had happened. Then the lawyer said, ‘Why did you admit to the charges when you did nothing wrong? Tell the truth and recant your statement. ’” After hearing that story, I realized how foolish and pathetic I was. I made a very complacent decision just because I thought I could get out quickly, was worried about my family, and wanted to return to Korea,” she sobbed.
Regarding the part where he did not respond actively, he explained, “The family also said that we should sue him in Korea through press conferences and such. The Chinese lawyer said, ‘If we do that, we will not be able to defend Son Jun-ho. ’” He added, “He said that he should stand trial alone and not talk to the outside world so that he would not be disadvantaged further. That is why he did not ask for help from the Korean government or the Korea Football Association, and he resolved it on an individual level.”
Son Jun-ho reportedly underwent only a few meaningless interrogations in the months following his recantation.
Son Jun-ho said, “Then one day, I was investigated several times in a short period of time. After the investigation, the Chinese police said, ‘You have to go to trial now, so don’t you want to go home quickly?’ At the time, my meeting with my lawyer and the consul was being postponed every week, so I quickly discussed it with them and came up with a way for me to go home.”
He added, “Before the trial, the judge and someone who appeared to be a high-ranking official said, ‘You must admit to even a small crime because it will cause diplomatic problems.’ They also told me, ‘If you don’t admit to even a small crime, you might get out of here at any time.’”
He also said, “The judge offered to release me within a few days if I admitted to receiving 200,000 yuan from (fellow player) Kim Kyung-do. He also offered me a deal, saying, ‘I will allow you to return to Korea and continue your football career.’”
Son Jun-ho is said to have refused to accept the offer because he knew that match-fixing would be a huge disgrace to a soccer player.
However, as his time in the detention center grew longer, he began to think, “I get 160,000 yuan as a winning bonus, so people wouldn’t have fixed the match to get 200,000 yuan.” In the end, Son Jun-ho accepted the judge’s suggestion and was able to be released.
Son Jun-ho explained, “Finally, someone who appeared to be a judge and a high-ranking official said, ‘You must never reveal this information to anyone,’ and ‘If you reveal it, it will be a big problem and you will not be able to play soccer anymore.’ After that, I was released after a formal trial and returned to Korea.”
Finally, Son Jun-ho said, “I am telling you this now to the people who have believed in me and worried about me, and I hope you will understand my grievances even a little bit,” and concluded by saying, “I will tell only the truth to the people who have supported me. I ask that not only the people but also the soccer world believe in me and help me.”
On the 10th, the Chinese Football Association, the General Administration of Sport of China, and the Ministry of Public Security held a press conference and announced disciplinary measures for the 61 people involved in the match-fixing incident.
Forty-four players, including Son Jun-ho, who played for Shandong Taishan, Shenyang Hongyun, Jiangsu Suning, and Shanghai Shenhua, were given permanent bans, and 17 players were given five-year suspensions.
Regarding the Chinese Football Association’s recent disciplinary action against Son Jun-ho, a Korea Football Association official said, “We have requested related documents from the Chinese side. We will announce the relevant information once we receive a response.”
[수원=뉴시스]
2024-09-12 05:48:28