Former NCT member Taeil sentenced to 3.5 years of jail on charges of rape

Taeil, former member of the K-pop band NCT, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison by the Seoul Central District Court on July 10, 2025, after being found guilty in a s*xual assault case.

According to a report in Yonhap News Agency, the court has ordered Taeil’s immediate detention. Two other co-defendants, identified by their surnames, Lee and Hong, were reportedly handed similar sentences and were taken into custody.

Reportedly, the three men were indicted in March without detention on charges of s*xually assaulting an intoxicated foreign woman in Seoul in June last year. In addition to this, the court has instructed them to complete 40 hours of a s*xual violence treatment programme, noting that the crime was serious as the victim was drunk and unable to resist.

Previously, the prosecutors reportedly demanded a seven-year prison term for each one of them as they face charges of quasi-rape, which applies when two or more people engage in s*xual acts with someone in a state of unconsciousness, or unable to resist. The charge also carries a maximum life sentence if convicted, per The Straits Times.

Details explored as Taeil gets convicted of s*xual assault of an intoxicated woman

A report in The Straits Times mentioned that Moon Tae-il, who is widely known as Taeil, met a Chinese woman at a bar around 2:33 am in Itaewon, Seoul, in June 2024. When she was intoxicated, they drove her to Lee’s home, where they allegedly committed the crime.

After the alleged assault, they sent her to a different location. According to a report in the Korea JoongAng Daily, the prosecutors said:

“The suspects appeared to have intentionally used the fact that the victim was a foreigner to prevent her from remembering the location of the assault or helping police trace the crime.”

The investigation was launched by the Bangbae Police Precinct in Seocho District, where they identified the suspects through CCTV footage and interviews. They carried a search warrant at their residences after which Lee and Hong surrendered on August 20, 2024, and the former NCT singer did so on August 28, 2024.

Korea JoongAng Daily reported that all three defendants admitted to the crime in June 2025. When asked by the court, Taeil said:

“I admit to all the charges.”

In his final statement, he said:

“I most deeply regret and feel sorry for the harm I caused the victim. I also apologize to everyone who was disappointed in me. If given leniency, I will consider it my last chance in life and do my best to contribute to society in any way I can.”

The defendants reportedly claimed that the act was unplanned. Taeil’s lawyer said that he had no intention of committing the crime and planned to drink more after leaving the bar.

Taeil was expelled from his K-pop band NCT in the same year, in August, after SM Entertainment terminated his contract in October 2024 following the s*xual assault allegations. He made his debut with the boy band in 2016. He was active in subunits NCT U and NCT 127.

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