Pop culture podcaster Perez Hilton reacted to the sentencing of former T-ARA member Lee Areum for child abuse and defamation charges. According to Koreaboo, the Korean singer was sentenced to eight months in prison and suspended for two years for child abuse and defamation charges filed by her ex-husband.
In his October 15 blog, Hilton discussed Lee Areum 's case in detail. The blogger reported that Lee Areum married Kim Young-gul in 2019, and they shared two children. However, the two got divorced in 2023. Last year, the singer accused Young-gul of child abuse and domestic abuse on social media. Following the accusations, the authorities looked into the matter but couldn't find anything against Areum's ex-partner.
Citing a report from Dispatch, the blogger noted that, on the contrary, the police found "evidence" against the former T-ARA member. Investigators reportedly discovered that one of Areum's children was "coerced" into making a "damaging statement" against Young-gul.
Noting another media report, Perez Hilton shared that Young-gul filed a defamation case against the Korean singer for verbally abusing him in front of his children. Now the singer has been officially sentenced to prison for child abuse and defamation charges. Reacting to the developments, the celebrity influencer wrote,
"This is SO messy!"K-Pop Star Going To Prison For Child Abuse 🔗
The celebrity podcaster highlighted that Young-gul not only filed the defamation lawsuit against Lee Areum but also against her mother. He also accused the singer of revealing court documents during a livestream.
Elsewhere in the blog, Hilton reported that Lee Areum attempted suicide after making accusations against her ex-husband last year.
According to Star News Korea, the K-pop singer was indicted on charges in July 2024, and the sentence came in January this year after she was found guilty. However, the singer appealed against the ruling. On September 16, the Suwon District Court rejected the appeal and upheld the original sentence.
Perez Hilton discussed the court ruling in Lee Areum's case
In his Wednesday blog, Perez Hilton shared that in addition to a prison sentence and a two-year suspension, Lee Areum would be required to take 40 hours of child abuse prevention education. The blogger also shared an excerpt from the court documents that read:
"The defendant has admitted to all charges. Her actions caused significant psychological harm to the children’s lawful guardian, which deserves strong condemnation."Quoting the Hindustan Times, Perez Hilton reported that Areum's mother was also sentenced to prison.
"Areum's mother was sentenced to four months in prison 'after she was accused of neglecting her grandchildren by allowing them to live in the same space where Areum verbally abused her ex-husband from 2021 to 2022,'" the blogger wrote.Perez Hilton mentioned that this was not the only legal case in which Areum was mired. Citing Korea JoongAng Daily, the blogger reported that former T-ARA member and her boyfriend, Seo Dong Hoon, were found guilty of fraud for failing to repay $27,000 they had borrowed from fans and friends.
In this 2024 lawsuit, Seo Dong Hoon was sentenced to 14 months in prison, whereas Lee Areum was sentenced to four months in prison.
According to MyDramaList, Areum joined the girl group T-ARA in 2012 but left the group a year later. She later cited her mental health as the reason to leave the group.
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Edited by Anuj Singh Kushwaha