Trigger Warning: Mentions of self-harm, suicide, abuse
South Korean singer and former member of girl group T-ara Lee A-reum has been hospitalized since Wednesday, March 27, 2024, after attempting suicide. The singer was said to have left a note in the morning before attempting to end her life, according to her family members.
The news of the singer’s suicide attempt came a day after Lee A-reum shared photos of the abuse she had received from her ex-husband in 2021 on her Instagram. In the caption she detailed, “Then the dress that I was wearing was torn, and I had bruises all over [my] body and my nose bone was crooked.” The pictures have since been deleted from her Instagram account.
Following the news of A-reum’s hospitalization, the singer’s boyfriend took to his Instagram to update fans on A-reum’s condition.
“Thank you to the fans and supporters of A-reum who reached out with concerns about her. However, please refrain from making any unnecessary or insensible requests (to me). Please understand she is in pain and still unconscious. I beg of you, please. I pray that she will be okay.”
On Friday, March 29, 2024, A-reum regained consciousness after receiving treatment in the hospital and shared news about her recovery in an Instagram post. She also penned an apology to her fans for making them worry.
Lee A-reum wrote, “I remembered my loved ones, children, family, and friends at the brink of death…After realizing I might never see them again, I desperately wanted to live, so I held on and regained consciousness. The hospital said it was a miracle I survived.”
Lee A-reum also clarified in her post that the accusations being thrown against her and her current boyfriend are totally unrelated to her current health condition. A former reporter turned YouTuber named Lee Jin-ho had accused the couple of “extorting money from her followers.” She said that she will be filing “immediate legal action” towards those that will continue to spread false information.
Lee A-reum debuted as a K-Pop idol in the girl group T-ara in 2012. She left the group in 2013 to pursue a solo career.
In December 2023, Lee A-reum revealed that she was undergoing divorce proceedings from her ex-husband who she had married in 2019. Lee publicly accused her ex-husband of abusing their children by spitting on, harassing, and molesting them.
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