Former T-ara Member Areum Sentenced for Fraud and Child Abuse in Series of Legal Scandals
On April 10, the Criminal Division 9 of the Ansan Branch of the Suwon District Court held a sentencing hearing for Areum’s fraud case and sentenced her to six months in prison with two years of probation.
The court found her guilty of borrowing ₩37 million (approx. $27,000 USD) from fans and acquaintances under false pretenses and failing to repay the amount. Areum was indicted without detention in December 2024, and although she initially denied the accusations—blaming hacking and claiming coercion—she eventually admitted to the charges.
The fraud case involved her current boyfriend, referred to as Mr. A, who is currently in detention. Investigations revealed that A led the fraudulent scheme, and although Areum was uncooperative during the investigation, she avoided detention. The couple allegedly defrauded at least ₩40 million from ten individuals. While Areum had previously announced their breakup and claimed she was threatened into borrowing money, it was later revealed that the couple reconciled and had two more children together.
This latest conviction adds to Areum’s growing list of legal troubles. In a separate case, she was previously sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, along with 40 hours of mandatory child abuse prevention education. She was indicted in July 2024 for emotionally abusing her children by verbally abusing her ex-husband in front of them, and for defaming an individual (referred to as B) during a livestream broadcast, after B disclosed court documents involving boyfriend A. Her mother, Ms. C, who was also charged with child abuse, received a sentence of four months in prison, suspended for one year.
The court criticized Areum‘s actions, stating that her verbal abuse caused serious psychological harm to the children and that her defamatory remarks showed at least indirect intent to harm. While Areum admitted to the abuse charges, she failed to reconcile with the defamation victim, a factor considered during sentencing.
Areum’s legal troubles began to unfold after her divorce announcement in December 2024. She had married a businessman two years her senior in 2019 and had two sons. Following their divorce, she announced plans to remarry boyfriend A, who she claimed had fathered her third child. Shortly after, her ex-husband filed a legal complaint against Areum and her mother for child abuse and abduction, triggering further investigation.
Areum originally joined T-ara in July 2012 but left the group just a year later in July 2013. Despite her early rise to fame in K-pop, her post-idol life has been marked by a series of personal and legal controversies.
