After a court found that he committed a grave act with his co-defendants.
Last Thursday, July 10, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 26 sentenced former NCT member Moon Taeil and two other defendants to three years and six months in prison.
This is in relation to their violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (Aggravated Quasi-Rape) over the charges that they previously admitted to doing in a previous hearing.
The court stated, as detailed by entertainment website Soompi, “The defendants admitted to the crime, and based on the evidence, they are found guilty. The victim was in a state of helplessness due to intoxication, and the crime was committed at Mr. Lee’s residence.”
Men surnamed Lee and Hong are the two co-defendants in this case.
It added, “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.”
According to the Korean media, the three were accused of sexually assaulting an intoxicated foreign female tourist on June 13, 2024.
In addition to the jail terms, the court also ordered the three to complete a total of 40 hours of sexual violence education, on top of imposing a five-year employment restriction at institutions involving children or adolescents.
Immediately after the decision was handed down, Taeil and the 2 unnamed defendants in the case were reported to have been arrested.
The sentence is lesser than what the prosecution have requested, which was specified to be a seven-year prison sentence, a sexual violence treatment program, disclosure of personal details, and a 10-year employment ban.
In response to those, the defense counsel appealed for leniency, citing Taeil’s family’s economic situation and the ex-K-pop star expressing his regret over the matter.
He is also said to have pledged to not commit the mistake again.
Taeil made his debut with NCT in 2016, eventually joining line-up of the permanent sub-unit NCT 127.
In August 2023, he went on hiatus after a road accident, but made his return to the limelight through the release of NCT 127’s sixth album ‘Walk’ in July 2024.
However, shortly after that, in August, he was announced to be leaving the group after reports of his involvement in sexual crimes were brought to light.
“As we were assessing the facts related to the matter, we recognized the severity of the situation and determined that Taeil can no longer continue his activities with the team (NCT). After discussing with Taeil, we have decided on his departure from the group,” the agency, SM Entertainment, wrote back then.
Eventually, the music label cut ties with him in October 2024, citing that the investigation “falls under justifiable reason for the termination of exclusive contract.”