Former K-pop boy band NCT member Moon Tae-il, also known as Taeil, pleaded guilty to rape charges in a Seoul court on Wednesday.
Prosecutors have demanded a seven-year prison sentence for the K-pop singer for his involvement in sexual assault on an inebriated Chinese woman.
On Wednesday, a year after the incident, Taeil and two other accused admitted to sexually assaulting the Chinese woman at a bar in Itaewon in June 2024, reported Korea-based media outlet Koreaboo.
Taeil was first summoned for interrogation on August 28, 2024, two months after the incident took place.
In February 2025, the Women and Children’s Crime Investigation Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Taeil under the Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.
According to South Korean media outlet mk.co.kr, the prosecution expressed doubts about the defendants’ so-called ‘voluntary surrender’, pointing out that it came only after a few months of police investigation and subsequent raids.
The prosecution said, “The defendants are trying to reduce sentencing by submitting self-written letters, but this cannot be seen as a genuine surrender. They only came forward after being identified and raided by police.”
“It is inappropriate to seek leniency for each other under these circumstances. This doesn’t meet the legal requirements and undermines the spirit of surrender,” the prosecutor added.
Despite being booked for the crime last year, Taeil did a live social media broadcast in June 2024, thanking fans (NCTzens) for making his birthday a happy one. He also attended a fan meeting in August 2024, marking the eighth anniversary of NCT 127’s (one of the sub-units of NCT) debut.
Later that month, SM Entertainment officially announced that Taeil would no longer be part of NCT. His artist profile was also removed from the agency’s roster.
NCT, which stands for Neo Culture Technology, is a South Korean boy group formed by SM Entertainment in 2016. It’s a unique concept featuring an “unlimited” number of members divided into various sub-units: NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream, WayV, NCT DoJaeJung, and NCT Wish.. The band currently has 25 members.
Taeil debuted with NCT’s first unit, NCT U, in 2016 and later became a member of NCT 127.
