Ahreum, former member of the popular girl group T-ARA, is fighting back against serious charges after being sentenced to prison with a probation period. She has officially appealed the court’s ruling regarding charges of child abuse and defamation.
On January 16, the Ansan Branch of the Suwon District Court sentenced Ahreum to 8 months in prison with a 2-year probation, along with 40 hours of child abuse prevention lectures. However, just a week later, on January 23, it was revealed that Ahreum had filed an appeal through her legal team, challenging the verdict.
The charges stem from an incident in July 2024, when Ahreum was accused of emotionally abusing her children by using hurtful language in front of them, aimed at her ex-husband. She was also accused of defaming individual A, who had disclosed a court ruling involving Ahreum’s boyfriend B during an internet broadcast.
The court made it clear during sentencing that Ahreum admitted to the child abuse charges but acknowledged that her actions caused significant emotional harm to her children’s caretakers. As for the defamation charges, the court found that although Ahreum denied any intent to defame, she had made no effort to verify the facts of her claims. Given the broadcast and her relationship with the victim, the court ruled that there was indirect intent to defame.
In addition to Ahreum's sentencing, her mother, who was also charged with child abuse, was sentenced to 4 months in prison with 1-year probation.
Ahreum joined T-ARA in 2012, but left the group the following year. In 2019, she married a businessman who is two years older than her, and they have two sons. However, in December 2024, she announced her divorce and plans to remarry her new partner, A. Ahreum previously revealed that she was a victim of domestic abuse by her ex-husband, but after an investigation, he was cleared of child abuse charges. Later, her ex-husband filed charges against Ahreum and her mother, accusing them of violating child welfare laws and kidnapping minors.
Meanwhile, Ahreum was also accused of defrauding at least 10 people, including fans and acquaintances, of over 40 million KRW along with A. Ahreum denied these fraud allegations, blaming it on a hacker, and later revealed she was pregnant with A’s child. She eventually announced her separation from him, claiming that she had been threatened and had borrowed money from fans. However, the police investigated her for fraud, and it was later reported that Ahreum reconciled with A, had two more children, and continued to make headlines for her personal life.
Stay tuned for more updates on Ahreum’s legal battle and personal developments.
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