Former T-ARA member Areum has received a finalized sentence for child abuse and defamation charges. According to Star News on October 9, 2025, the Suwon District Court Ansan Branch sentenced Areum to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, for charges of child abuse and defamation filed earlier this year in January. She was also ordered to complete 40 hours of child abuse prevention education.
Areum appealed the first trial’s verdict, but the court dismissed the appeal, finalizing her sentence. The case stems from March last year, when Areum accused her ex-husband of child abuse and domestic violence through social media posts. Shortly afterward, she attempted suicide and was transported to the hospital. Following a police investigation, her ex-husband was cleared of child abuse charges.
Subsequently, her ex-husband filed charges against Areum and her mother for child abuse and the abduction of a minor, as well as a defamation lawsuit for her public accusations. The court also sentenced Areum’s mother — who had been charged without detention — to four months in prison, suspended for one year.
Areum debuted as a member of T-ara in July 2012, but left the group in July 2013. In October 2019, she married a businessman two years her senior and had two sons. After their divorce, she continued to post exposés about her ex-husband on social media, and in December 2023, she announced her new relationship and remarriage, drawing public attention for her turbulent personal life.
