Former T-ARA member Areum has received a prison sentence over child abuse charges.
In 2024, Dispatch revealed that a temporary restraining order had been implemented against Areum and her mother from approaching the former's children. Areum initially accused her ex-husband, referred to as Mr. A, of child abuse.
Heinous claims were made, including one where her husband took out his anger on the children, as well as urinating and defecating on their faces.
However, the police couldn't find concrete evidence to back her claims.
Combined with the lack of evidence and credibility in the children's testimonies, the case against Mr. A was ultimately dismissed in May 2024.
Following the case's closure, Areum was charged with child abuse, neglectful behavior, and abduction by the Gwangmyeong Police Station.
Former T-ARA member Areum has been sentenced to 8 months in prision and 2 years of probation on charges of child abuse and defamation.https://t.co/zBn8qGmbq7 pic.twitter.com/JzhkZdBfZL
— Kpop Charts (@kchartsmaster) January 17, 2025
In a new development, Korean news outlet fnnews reported that Areum had been given a suspended prison sentence of eight months, two years of probation, and 40 hours of child abuse prevention classes.
Areum was also previously indicted without detention on charges of drugging minors and defamation.
The decision was made at the Suwon District Court and was presided over by Judge Yoon Sang Do. In the filing, Areum was accused of using profane language against her ex-husband in front of her children.
In a livestream, the former idol also reportedly slandered an individual referred to as "A," who exposed court documents regarding her current husband.
"She has admitted all the charges," the court shared.
"The emotional damage caused to the legal guardian of the child victim is highly reprehensible."
The court also shared insights regarding her defamation charges, saying there was no intention to defame individual "A," and that there was a claim stating that the case's verdict was fabricated without verifying the facts.
However, the court eventually ruled that Areum's actions had slanderous intentions.
Areum's mother was also sentenced to four months in prison and one year of probation. The idol's mother was tried in court for "neglecting her grandchildren" in a toxic environment, where her daughter, Areum, verbally abused her former son-in-law from 2021 to 2022.
