Former T-ara member Areum is making headlines again — this time not for music, but for serious legal trouble involving fraud, child abuse, and defamation.

On April 10, the Criminal Division 9 of the Suwon District Court's Ansan Branch found Areum guilty of scamming fans and acquaintances out of 37 million won (about $27,000 USD).

The court sentenced her to 6 months in prison, suspended for 2 years — meaning she won’t go to jail unless she commits another crime during that time.

According to reports, several victims came forward between March and May last year. They said Areum borrowed money from them, claiming she was having personal problems or issues with her boyfriend — but she never paid them back.

At first, she denied the accusations, saying her account was hacked or that her boyfriend was to blame. But during the investigation, she admitted she did it herself.

This isn’t her first run-in with the law. Areum was also found guilty of emotionally abusing her children by yelling at her ex-husband in front of them, and for defaming someone by sharing private court documents about her ex-boyfriend on a broadcast.

For this, she received another suspended sentence — 8 months in prison with 2 years of suspension — and was ordered to complete 40 hours of child abuse prevention education.

Her mother was also sentenced to 4 months in prison with 1 year of suspension for her own role in the child abuse case.

The court strongly criticized Areum’s actions, saying, “Causing serious emotional harm to children in front of their legal guardian deserves strong criticism,” and added that she made insulting claims without checking the facts.

Areum debuted with T-ara in 2012 but left the group in 2013. In recent years, she’s been in the spotlight more for her personal life. She married a businessman in 2019 and had two sons but divorced in 2023.

She later remarried and had a third child in late 2023 — and she is currently pregnant with her fourth.

Fans who once supported her are now feeling hurt and disappointed as this once-promising idol faces serious charges and criticism.

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The hit drama Weak Hero 2 is taking over both streaming charts and fans’ hearts—and now it’s bringing massive attention back to the original Naver webtoon Weak Hero.

According to Netflix's Tudum Top 10 update on April 30, Weak Hero 2 pulled in a huge 6.1 million views (based on total watch time divided by full runtime) just three days after its release. It grabbed the #1 spot on the Global TOP 10 Non-English TV Series chart.

That’s not all—right after it dropped, the drama soared to the top of Korea’s TOP 10 Series and even made the TOP 10 charts in 63 countries, including Brazil, France, Mexico, Belgium, Morocco, Greece, Indonesia, and more.

This follows the success of Weak Hero 1, which previously ranked #8 and stayed on the global chart for five weeks straight.

With all eyes on the new season, fans are now rushing to read the original webtoon, leading to a massive jump in popularity.

The webtoon, which first started in May 2018 and wrapped up in November 2023, is famous for its intense storytelling and emotional depth.

It tells the story of Yeon Si Eun, a quiet and seemingly weak student who turns into a top fighter at a violent school—giving fans a unique and gripping coming-of-age story.

After Weak Hero Class 2 aired, many viewers started reading or re-reading the webtoon from beginning to end. As a result, sales of the webtoon have shot up more than 20 times compared to its average monthly sales after completion.

The series has also been turned into printed books, a mobile game, and even emojis, and has been exported to 9 countries, including North America.

When the first season of the drama premiered on Wavve in 2022, it held 45% of the platform’s total viewing share, proving its wide appeal.

Fans are now hoping for a new sequel season of the webtoon, and the franchise is being praised as a perfect example of how a strong original story can keep growing through great adaptations.

Source: [1]