South Korean singer Moon Taeil has learned his fate in his rape case.
The former NCT band member, 31, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, along with two other men, surnames Hong and Lee, at Seoul Central District Court on Thursday for the rape of a female tourist, according to The Korea Herald.
After the ruling, all three perpetrators were taken into custody. Along with their prison sentences, they were also ordered to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program, per the outlet.
Last month, Taeil and the other two men pleaded guilty to quasi-rape, a charge that applies when two or more perpetrators engage in sex acts with someone unconscious or unable to resist, reported People.
“The defendants took turns committing sexual acts against the victim, who was severely intoxicated and unable to resist. The nature of the crime is particularly grave,” the court stated. “As a foreign tourist assaulted in an unfamiliar environment, the victim likely experienced significant psychological distress.”
Taeil, Hung and Lee met the woman at a bar in Itaewon, and after several drinks, the K-pop star helped the victim into a taxi with Lee, who took her home, while Taeil and the other followed separately. The sexual assault took place at Lee’s residence, according to the indictment.
The prosecution sought a seven-year prison sentence for all three men, but since it was their first offense, the court gave them a sentence of half the time.
NCT parted ways with Taeil in August 2024, two months after the allegations came to light.
The boy band’s agency, SM Entertainment, wrote in a statement on X at the time: “We recognized the seriousness of the issue, and we have decided that Taeil can no longer continue team activities.”
“We have discussed this matter with Taeil, and it has been decided that he will leave the group,” the message concluded.
Taeil was an original member of NCT (Neo Culture Technology), which was formed in 2016. There are over 20 performers in the group, which is broken down into different sub-units. He was also part of NCT 127.
Since the court proceedings, he has made his social media accounts private.
Taeil is not the first K-pop star to be charged with a sexual crime.
In 2021, Seungri, an ex-member of the K-pop group Big Bang, was sentenced to three years behind bars for gambling and prostitution-related charges.
The disgraced singer, 34, was also ordered to pay 1.15 billion Korean won (about $1 million) in restitution.
“It is hard to see the defendant was not aware of financial payments paid to the women for sex,” Judge Hwang Min-je said at his sentencing, per reports. “It appears that he carried out systematic sexual prostitution.”
K-pop star Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon were found guilty of gang raping unconscious women in 2019.
According to the BBC, Judge Kang Seong-soo said the victims were “drunk and unable to resist, filmed them nude and having sex, then spread it on a group chat”.
“We can’t imagine the pain the victims might have felt who found out later.”
Joon-young, 36, and Jong-hoon, 35, were sentenced to six and five years in prison.
In his testimony, Joon-young said, “I deeply regret my foolishness and I feel great remorse.”
