Former Tahiti member denies ties to Shincheonji
Former Tahiti member Ari. Capture from Ari's Twitter
By Dong Sun-hwa
Ari, a former member of now-defunct K-pop girl group Tahiti, has denied ties to Shincheonji ― a fringe religious group blamed for the wide spread of COVID-19 in Korea's southern regions early this year.
Ari posted a video of herself singing a gospel song at a church in Seoul and some photos of her baptism ceremony as evidence that she is a Christian and not a member of that group.
“I am uploading these out of fear. My ignorance is my only fault. Please stop (spreading a rumor.) I will not make more clarification,” she wrote on Twitter, Friday.
Rumors have recently started swirling about Ari, who featured on a radio show run by Cheonji Ilbo, a media outlet that has close ties with the group. Her video was posted YouTube on March 21, 2019. She said she had no idea about their connection.
On Sept. 30, Ari also confirmed that she had been dating Super Junior's Ryeowook ― the news that brought her into the spotlight.
Ari debuted as a Tahiti member in 2012 and changed her career to acting after the group disbanded in 2018.