Taeil loses appeal in sex assault case, will stay behind bars

Taeil, a former member of K-pop boy band NCT, has lost his appeal in a sexual assault case and will remain behind bars.

Taeil in 2023 [NEWS1]

Taeil, a former member of K-pop boy band NCT, has lost his appeal in a sexual assault case and will remain behind bars.

The Seoul High Court on Friday upheld a lower court’s ruling and sentenced Taeil — whose legal name is Moon Tae-il, 31 — to three years and six months in prison. He was convicted of aggravated quasi-rape under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.

The court also upheld identical sentences for two co-defendants, surnamed Lee and Hong. All three men must complete 40 hours of a sex offender treatment program. They are also barred from working at institutions involving children, teenagers or people with disabilities for five years.

The appellate court rejected the defendants’ claim for leniency based on voluntary confession.

“The grounds for mitigation presented by the defendants are not sufficient,” the court said. “There was no error in the first court’s factual or sentencing decisions.”

A district court in July sentenced the trio to prison for taking turns raping a foreign woman who was too intoxicated to resist.

“The victim was under the influence of alcohol and unable to defend herself,” the judge wrote. “She was a tourist unfamiliar with her surroundings, and the crime likely caused serious psychological trauma.”

Police booked Taeil in June 2024, along with his two friends, for allegedly assaulting the woman after a night of drinking. He underwent his first police interrogation in August.

Following the report, his agency SM Entertainment removed him from the group.

“Given the seriousness of the case, we decided he can no longer remain a member,” the company said at the time. Taeil was taken into custody immediately after his conviction in July. His co-defendants were also detained on the spot.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]