Media outlet Dispatch unveiled details of the fraud committed by former T-ara member Areum and her boyfriend Seo Dong-hoon
On April 1st, Dispatch released an article titled “Areum, the truth behind the fraud” exposing the criminal record of Seo Dong-hoon, T-ara Areum’s boyfriend, starting with “Her new boyfriend is the second Jeon Chung-jo”.
According to the media outlet, Seo was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in May 2021 on charges of fraud, threatening and sexual violence. The victims were three women, including his ex-girlfriend. After being released from prison in September 2023, Seo began to work as a writer and met T-ara’s Areum for the first time in October.
Dispatch stated, “There’s no way to know when their relationship began but the time when the fraud began could be identified. Areum and Seo Dong-hoon asked their acquaintances for money two months after dating”, adding that it was around December last year. In addition, the two approached T-ara fans and received more than 30 million won using treatment fees for Areum’s children as an excuse.
After that, the two continued to borrow money from acquaintances by sending them photos taken at the hospital. Dispatch pointed out, “The amount of money they had scammed is estimated to be 43.95 million won, and the two only repaid 2 million won. There are at least 10 victims.”
Earlier when Areum introduced her new boyfriend in December last year, rumors about his past criminal acts already spread and many people also claimed that he was the “second Jeon Chung-jo”. At that time, Areum countered, saying “My boyfriend attempted an extreme choice because of numerous malicious comments. The suspicions are groundless. I don’t care what you are saying because I know everything about this person.”
Meanwhile, Areum announced her suspension of Instagram activities on March 31st and deleted her account after rumors of her boyfriend’s fraud began to spread. She said, “I’ll stop using Instagram for a while. I’ve taken legal actions against many malicious acts and will continue to do it without attacking anyone or making any statement”.
Regarding the allegations that she borrowed money from Instagram followers, she said, “My SNS was hacked”.
Areum joined T-ara in July 2022 but left the group after a year. She married a businessman two years older than her in 2019 and has two sons. In December 2023, Areum announced her divorce from her husband and planned to remarry her new boyfriend Seo Dong-hoon. On March 29th, the former T-ara member shocked everyone as she attempted an extreme choice. After regaining consciousness, she declared legal action against suspicions surrounding her and her boyfriend.
