South Korean singer Taeil, former member of K-pop group NCT, has been found guilty of rape and sentenced to three and a half years in prison.
Taeil, 31, and two accomplices identified only as Lee and Hong, were indicted in March on charges of sexually assaulting an intoxicated tourist in Seoul last summer, The Korea Times reported.
They have now been found guilty by the Seoul Central District Court of “special quasi-rape”, a crime involving two or more perpetrators and an unconscious victim. The maximum sentence for the crime is life in prison.
Though the court reportedly described their crime as “grave”, it imprisoned the singer and his accomplices for only 42 months instead of seven years sought by the prosecution because they were first-time offenders who admitted to the charges and settled with the victim, who did not want to pursue criminal charges.
“The defendants took turns committing sexual acts against the victim who was severely intoxicated and unable to resist,” it ruled, according to The Korea Herald. “The nature of the crime is particularly grave.”
“As a foreign tourist assaulted in an unfamiliar environment, the victim likely experienced significant psychological distress.”
All three offenders, who were taken into custody immediately after the ruling was delivered on Thursday, were also ordered to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment programme.
The crime took place in June 2024 in Seoul’s nightlife hub of Itaewon where Taeil and his accomplices met the tourist at a bar. South Korean media reported that Taeil allegedly helped the woman, who was heavily intoxicated from drinking with them, into a taxi to Lee’s home. Taeil and Hong followed separately and all three assaulted her while she was unconscious at Lee’s residence.
Taeil was dropped from NCT, where he also performed in subunits NCT U and NCT 127, in August 2024. His management label, SM Entertainment, said Taeil was leaving the band after being questioned by police about a then-unspecified sexual crime.
“This is SM Entertainment. We recently confirmed that Taeil was sued for a criminal case related to a sexual crime,” the label said in a statement at the time.
“We recognised 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. Taeil is fully cooperating with the police and we’ll provide further statements as the investigation progresses. We apologise for the controversy caused by our artist.”
Taeil, whose real name is Moon Tae Il, debuted in 2016 with boy band NCT, short for Neo Culture Technology. The group started with 25 members and was divided into several subunits.
NCT 127, the subunit Taeil was formerly a part of, released their third Korean studio album called Sticker in 2021, which debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, becoming the longest and highest-charting K-pop album in the US in that year.
NCT has not released any new music since the allegations against Taeil first surfaced last year.
K-pop fans on social media appeared disappointed with his sentence, claiming it was too short.
The news about Taeil is absolutely repulsive and him only getting 3 years for aggravated r is insane.
— Lumia 🫧🪼 Jellyfish Vtuber (@lumiavtuber) July 11, 2025
“Honestly, I really can’t celebrate the fact Taeil is going to jail because he is going to jail for such a short amount of time. Bachelor degrees take longer than that,” one person wrote on X.
“Taeil got 3 and a half year because he’s a first-time offender?? How many times do you have to commit a crime for a life sentence?” asked another.
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