K-Pop Singer Taeil Handed 3.5 Year Sentence After Being Found Guilty of Rape

Taeil, a former member of the K-Pop group NCT, has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for his involvement in a sexual assault case.

On Thursday (July 10), the Seoul Central District court delivered the verdict for the 31-year-old singer (born Moon Tae-il) and his co-defendants, Mr. Lee and Mr. Hong. They were found guilty of aggravated quasi-rape under South Korea’s Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, according to Soompi.

All three men were immediately taken into custody following the sentencing, per the Korea Times. Prosecutors had initially requested a seven-year prison term for each defendant during the first hearing on June 18.

The case stems from an incident last June when Taeil and the other defendants met a foreign woman at a bar in Seoul. The woman became heavily intoxicated and was taken to Mr. Lee’s home, where she was sexually assaulted while unconscious.

"The defendants admitted to the crime, and based on the evidence, they are found guilty," the court stated. "The victim was in a state of helplessness due to intoxication, and the crime was committed at Mr. Lee’s residence. The foreign tourist is experiencing significant psychological trauma as she was assaulted in an unfamiliar place. However, the court considered the fact that the defendants were first-time offenders and that the victim did not wish to pursue punishment as favorable factors."

In addition to the prison sentence, the court mandated that Teil and his co-defendants complete 40 hours of a sexual violence education program and imposed a five-year restriction from working at institutions involving children or adolescents.

Taeil’s legal counsel requested leniency based on a written confession he submitted to authorities, but the court rejected this argument, saying: “Since the confession came after the search and seizure of the defendant, it cannot be considered voluntary surrender and thus does not warrant sentence reduction."

Taeil, who made his debut as a member of the K-Pop group NCT in 2016 before joining other subunits, was removed from the group in August 2024 after the allegations became public.

According to Rolling Stone, SM Entertainment issued a statement at the time, saying: “We have recently confirmed that Taeil has been implicated in a criminal case related to sexual crimes. While looking into the situation, we recognized that the issue is very serious, and we have decided that Taeil could no longer continue team activities."

The label added that he would "faithfully cooperate with the police investigation" and apologized "for the controversy caused by our artist."