Throughout March this year, former T-ARA member Areum found herself in the headlines after she shared accusations of abuse by her ex-husband against herself and her children. She shared in detail the ways in which he abused her, even sharing pictures of the injuries she said that he gave her. Then, on March 26, Areum was hospitalized after attempting to take her own life, which she thankfully recovered from.
But that wasn’t all that the former idol was in the news for in the last couple of months. Areum and her then-boyfriend, Seo, were hit with accusations of scamming her fans and acquaintances of ₩40.0 million KRW (about $29,000 USD) in order to gamble in an online sports betting game called TOTO. Areum claimed that she was coerced by Seo to take part in the swindling, and that he was the one who had spent the money and took part in assaulting Areum and “imprisoning” her and her children in their home for months.
Areum | @areum0ju/Instagram
Later on, Areum claimed that she had returned all of the swindled money and that she would be filing a lawsuit against Seo. On April 21, she shared a message that also claimed she would be taking a break from social media to concentrate on her life, which many were supportive of.
I’ve taken care of all the victims that messaged me through Instagram. I will be deactivating my account to concentrate on my life. Everyone has a good weekend and my fans, don’t worry too much.
— Areum
| @areum0ju/Instagram
However, barely a week later on April 29, the former idol’s Instagram account was reactivated with claims that she was “starting again”.
Everything is finding its place in order. Shall I start anew now? Whenever it gets tough, there’s a drama I would rewatch countless times. This is not the end for me, but another start. Let’s start again.
— Areum
She also shared what appears to be a poem or lyrics on her Instagram story, with the caption, “Is there anyone who can listen to my concerns? I want to make people who can be my own.”
A second Instagram story, posted less than an hour ago, has the caption, “Of course, good times come after difficult times!”
Netizens reactions are mixed, with some fans glad to see Areum return to social media while others are concerned for her wellbeing, or question why she returned so quickly. Comments on the Instagram post, however, are overwhelmingly supportive.
We hope that Areum is getting whatever help she may need during this tumultuous time in her life.
