Borrowed 37 Million Won from Fans and Acquaintances and Did Not Repay... Tiara Areum Found Guilty of Fraud in First Trial

Borrowed Money from Fans Citing Personal Circumstances
Previously Sentenced to 8 Months in Prison and 2 Years Probation for Child Abuse

Former T-ara member Areum. Areum Instagram

Lee Areum (real name Lee Areum), a former member of the girl group 'T-ara,' has been found guilty of fraud.

On the 15th, Judge Lee Nuri of the Criminal Division 9 at Ansan Branch of Suwon District Court sentenced Lee, who was indicted without detention on fraud charges, to six months in prison with a two-year probation. This case came to light after victims filed police complaints against Lee for fraud between March and May of last year.

Areum was indicted without detention on fraud charges for borrowing 37 million KRW from fans and acquaintances in December 2024 and failing to repay it. Areum and her boyfriend, Mr. A, were both brought to trial, with Mr. A attending court in custody. Prosecutors revealed that the crime was orchestrated mainly by Mr. A, and Areum avoided detention due to her relatively uncooperative stance.

Previously, Areum was sentenced to eight months in prison with a two-year probation for child abuse and defamation. She emotionally abused children by verbally abusing her ex-husband Mr. A in front of their children and defamed a person who disclosed court rulings related to her ex-boyfriend Mr. B during an internet broadcast.

Meanwhile, Areum joined the girl group T-ara in 2012 but withdrew in July of the following year. She married a businessman two years her senior in 2019 and had two sons, but announced a divorce lawsuit in December 2023. Afterward, she announced her remarriage and pregnancy with her boyfriend Mr. A and accused her ex-husband of child abuse, filing a complaint against him. However, the ex-husband was cleared due to lack of evidence.