Former 2nd gen K-pop star's prison sentence on child abuse charges revealed, fans question ‘too short’ term

Former T-ARA member Areum has admitted to child abuse and defamation charges. However, K-pop fans are not happy with her ‘short’ prison sentence.

Former T-ARA member Areum’s suspended prison sentence in light of previous child abuse and defamation charges was revealed on January 17. Having been found guilty of both, she also admitted to all the accusations against her.

Former T-ARA member Areum has been sentenced to 8 months in prison with two years of probation for child abuse and defamation charges. (X)

According to Chosun Biz, the Suwon District Court Ansan Branch Criminal Division 9’s decision will land the ex-second-generation K-pop star in prison for eight months with two years of probation. She has also been ordered to attend 40 hours of lectures on child abuse prevention.

T-ARA's Areum charged with child abuse and defamation

The 31-year-old singer, whose real name is Lee Ahreum, was previously charged with child abuse after spewing profanity against her former spouse in front of her two children. Online netizen ‘A’ also sued her for defamation after she publicly insulted them on a live broadcast for revealing court documents associated with her current husband.

In response to the child abuse charge, the court stated, “She admits to all the charges. She should be criticised for causing mental damage to the legal guardian of the victimised child.”

As for the defamation issue, the official record suggested that there was no intention to defame victim A. However, “she made a statement that the verdict was manipulated without making any effort to confirm the facts.” It was eventually “judged that there was an intentional act.”

Lee Ahreum's mother also sentenced to prison

Areum wasn’t the only one to be legally held responsible for the charges. Her mother was also sentenced to four months in prison and a year in probation on child abuse charges. Her indictment followed after she was accused of neglecting her grandchildren by allowing them to live in the same space where Lee verbally abused her ex-husband from 2021 to 2022.

Areum possibly wrongfully accused ex-husband of assault

The T-ARA singer previously accused her former husband of assaulting her and abusing their children all the while they were married. Formal investigation rendered these claims against him unfounded, and he was cleared due to insufficient evidence.

The former K-pop performer married her ex-spouse, a businessman, in 2019. They have two sons. In December 2023, it was revealed that the couple was entangled in a messy divorce lawsuit. Shortly after that, Areum disclosed that she would be tying the knot with her new partner, with whom she welcomed her third child last November. She is also expecting a fourth baby.

Fans react to the ‘cursed’ group T-ARA's new update

Once the news broke out on Friday, K-pop enthusiasts were shocked to witness the page-turning development especially since Areum had previously accused her ex-spouse of misconduct. “If this is true then she deserves it,” wrote a user on X/Twitter. Amidst a long trail of “OMG” comments, another netizen added, “omg new history was created by an idol, it should have been more than 8 months!”

Several others were taken by the mere months-long sentence, saying “8 months??? Not years???” Someone else chimed in, “8 months? That's too short.” Many were also confused by the plot twist: “So it's not the husband? I'm very lost here somebody help me...”

Fans even referred to T-ARA, a second-generation girl group, as a “cursed” music act given its history of a long-standing bullying scandal. The topsy-turvy claims suggested that over a decade ago, Hwayoung, a member who joined much later, was bullied by the other members. Over time, those allegations were reversed, insisting that T-ARA members were actually victims and that Hwayoung had victimised herself.

(Translations: Chosun Biz, Koreaboo)