Taeil, a former member of the K-pop boy band NCT, has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison after being found guilty of special quasi-rape under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, according to the Korea Herald.
The Seoul Central District Court delivered the verdict on Thursday, ordering the immediate detention of the 31-year-old. Two other men, surnamed Lee and Hong, involved in the same incident, received identical sentences and were also taken into custody.
The charges stem from an incident in June 2024 in Itaewon, a well-known nightlife area in Seoul. According to court findings, Taeil and his acquaintances met a foreign woman at a bar. After drinking together, the woman became severely intoxicated. Taeil assisted her into a taxi with Lee, who brought her to his residence. Taeil and Hong later joined them at the location, where the assault took place.
The court noted the seriousness of the crime, emphasizing that the victim was incapable of resisting due to her intoxicated state. In addition to the prison terms, all three men were ordered to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program.
However, the court also considered several mitigating factors in determining the sentence: all three were first-time offenders, admitted to the charges, and reached a settlement with the victim, who expressed a desire not to pursue further criminal punishment.
During a previous hearing, prosecutors had requested seven-year prison terms for each of the defendants. Moon admitted to all charges during the first session of the trial.
Taeil, whose legal name is Moon Tae-il, was removed from NCT in August 2024 after police questioned him in connection with the allegations. He made his debut in 2016 as a member of NCT’s first unit, NCT U, and later became part of the subunit NCT 127.
