K-pop singer Moon Tae-il, a former member of boy band NCT, has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for raping an inebriated Chinese woman, as per reports.

Tae-il, also known as Taeil, admitted to sexually assaulting the Chinese woman at a bar in Itaewon in 2024, reported Korea-based media outlet Koreaboo.

The 26th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court delivered this sentence to the K-pop singer. The court also sent his two accomplices, identified by their surnames Lee and Hong, to prison.

Although prosecutors initially appealed for a seven-year prison sentence for the K-pop singer, the court shortened the sentence to three years and 6 months as Taeil was a first-time offender.

According to a report by the BBC, the court has also ordered Taeil and his accomplices to attend a 40-hour treatment programme designed for offenders of sexual violence.

During his final courtroom trial, Taeil said, “To those I disappointed, I am truly sorry. If given another chance, I will live my life doing good.”

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.

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. Taeil debuted with NCT’s first unit, NCT U, in 2016 and later became a member of NCT 127.