Former 2nd gen K-pop Idol sentenced to prison over fraud with ex boyfriend, fails to repay millions

Former T-ara member found guilty of fraud

According to the court’s filing, obtained by the K-media outlet, Ah Reum initially denied the charges but later admitted to acting alone during the investigation, despite earlier blaming her boyfriend and claiming that her accounts had been hacked. The fraud involved using personal circumstances as an excuse to borrow the money from several individuals, including fans, but the victims claimed that no repayments were made. As a result, Ah Reum was sentenced for her actions, but she will not serve prison time unless she reoffends. The controversial K-pop idol was also charged in a defamation case involving her ex-husband.

What happened with T-ara’s Ah Reum?

Ah Reum debuted in 2012 as a rapper, sub-vocalist, and the group’s maknae. However, just a year after, the group was suddenly mired in multiple controversies surrounding the members, and she left the group to debut with its subunit and then called it quits to pursue her solo career. Before the fraud charges, Ah Reum, in January 2025, was sentenced to 8 months of prison with 2 years of suspension after she was found guilty of verbally abusing her children in front of her ex-husband and others. She also lost a defamation battle, which involved her accusing someone of misconduct during an internet live streaming—someone related to her ex-boyfriend.

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She was also ordered to attend 40 hours of child abuse prevention lectures. “She admits to all the charges. She should be criticised for causing mental damage to the legal guardian of the victimised child,” the court ruling made in January stated. The former idol also has a troubled personal life. In 2019, she married a businessman, had two children, and later went through a divorce in 2023. She then remarried her boyfriend and had a third child, with reports now stating she is pregnant with her fourth child.

In April 2024, it was reported that Lee Ah Reum had ended her relationship with her boyfriend amid a fraud scandal. She even accused her ex-husband of abusing and assaulting her and her kids, but the investigation found the idol’s former partner innocent, and he was cleared of all charges. Along with Ah Reum, her mother also received a four-month prison sentence with a year of probation for child abuse related to neglecting the grandchildren.

T-ara is often referred to as a ‘cursed’ second-generation girl group due to its long history of bullying scandals. At one point, it was reported that Hwayoung, a member who joined later, had been bullied by the others. But over time, the narrative flipped dramatically as claims emerged suggesting that the T-ARA members were actually the ones mistreated and that Hwayoung had portrayed herself as a victim.

But in November 2024, Ah Reum rolled out a handwritten note saying that though she is not interested in officially confirming anything, she still wanted to address a few things since she keeps receiving DMS. Ah Reum revealed how, right after debuting, the Twitter incident involving a member became hard for her to process. She went on to share how much she appreciated Hwayoung, who was kind and caring towards her. They had a close bond.