A 31-year-old South Korean singer and former member of the popular K-pop band NCT, Taeil, has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison after admitting to raping a Chinese tourist alongside two accomplices.
The Seoul district court heard that Taeil, whose full name is Moon Tae-il, and his co-defendants, identified in South Korean media only by their surnames Lee and Hong, took turns sexually assaulting the woman after a night of drinking in the capital’s Itaewon district.
The incident, described by the court as “extremely grave”, occurred after the victim became “heavily intoxicated” during a night out. The three men then took her in a taxi to Lee’s home, where the assault took place. The court noted the woman was unconscious at the time of the attack, classifying the offence under South Korean law as both “aggravated rape” and “quasi rape”.
Despite the severity of the crime, the men received just half the seven-year sentence requested by prosecutors. The judge cited their lack of prior criminal records as a mitigating factor but mandated all three to undergo 40 hours of a rehabilitation programme for sexual violence offenders.
Taeil’s withdrawal from NCT
Taeil withdrew from NCT in August 2024 after the initial allegations surfaced, though the full details of the case were not made public until recently.
NCT, introduced by entertainment giant SM Entertainment in January 2016, rose to fame for its genre-blending music and large, rotational lineup. The group garnered international acclaim, with several albums charting on the Billboard rankings.
The conviction marks another moment of reckoning for the South Korean entertainment industry, which has faced a series of high-profile scandals involving male celebrities and sexual violence in recent years.
