Early last year, fans were concerned for the safety of former T-ARA member Lee Areum (이아름) following reports that she had been hospitalised after a tragic incident at her home. The singer came forward with her story and alleged that her ex-husband, Kim Young Gul, had abused not only her but their children as well.
After nearly a year of investigation and court trials, it was revealed that the idol had fabricated the story and has now been sentenced to eight months in prison for child abuse and defamation. Here’s the full story:
Previously, Areum accused her ex-husband of physically harming their children, claiming that he had subjected them to inhumane treatments such as spitting on their faces, urinating on them, and smearing their faces with faeces. According to several reports, this turned out to be false, as police found no evidence of domestic violence and suspected the victim and her mother to be the actual abusers. Experts also suggested that the children had been pressured by their mother into giving false statements about their father.
The ex-T-ARA member, who is currently pregnant with her third child, was then charged with child abuse and negligence, as well as defamation against an unnamed individual during a live broadcast. Earlier today (17th January), the Suwon District Court Ansan Branch Criminal Division 9 sentenced Lee Areum to eight months in prison and two years of probation. The judge also ordered 40 hours of child abuse prevention classes. Her mother, who assisted her in her crimes, was sentenced to four months in prison and one year of probation.
The two women are also prohibited from seeing the children. “She admitted to all the charges and inflicted serious emotional harm on the lawful guardians of the victimized children, which deserves significant condemnation,” the court told reporters. At the time of writing, there have been no reports regarding who will take guardianship of the singer’s children. Neither her ex-husband, Kim Young Gul, nor her current husband, who remains anonymous to this day, have come forward with a statement about the case.
The songstress was also accused of fraud and scamming, but there has been no update regarding the case. After the news broke, fans were distraught to learn that Areum was the one actually guilty of the accusations she had made against her ex-husband. Many expressed disappointment and anger towards the idol, as they had believed and supported her throughout the case.
Others remain sceptical about the case and firmly believe that her ex-husband is still guilty of the abuse. What do you think about this whole ordeal? Were you shocked by the news?
Sources: Naver, ChosunBiz, MaeilBusiness, Allkpop, Twitter
