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Korea Herald
16-07-2025
- Korea Herald
Prosecutors appeal ruling in ex-NCT member Taeil's rape case
Authorities seek stronger punishment, challenge first trial's leniency amid controversy over defendants' claims of voluntary surrender Prosecutors have filed an appeal against the three-and-a-half-year prison sentence handed down to Moon Tae-il, a former member of the K-pop group NCT, who was convicted of special quasi-rape earlier this month. According to local media reports on Wednesday, prosecutors and the legal teams of Taeil's two co-defendants — also convicted in the same case — submitted formal appeals to the court the previous day. Whether Taeil himself has filed an appeal remains unconfirmed. On July 10, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Taeil and two others to three years and six months in prison, along with mandatory completion of 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program and a five-year employment ban in institutions related to children and adolescents. All three were taken into custody immediately following the sentencing. The court found that the three defendants had taken advantage of the victim's incapacitated state due to intoxication and sexually assaulted her at one of their residences. 'The defendants exploited the victim, who was too intoxicated to resist, and the nature of the crime is particularly egregious,' the court ruled. 'As a foreign national assaulted in an unfamiliar setting, the victim likely suffered severe psychological distress.' However, the court also considered mitigating factors, including the defendants' lack of prior criminal records, admission of guilt and a settlement reached with the victim, who no longer wished to pursue criminal punishment. Prosecutors pushed back on the "voluntary surrender" claim. During the initial trial, prosecutors had sought seven-year prison sentences for each of the three defendants, along with a 10-year employment ban in child- and youth-related fields. They argued that the court's sentence was too lenient and challenged the defense's claim that the accused had voluntarily turned themselves in. 'The defendants submitted written statements claiming voluntary surrender, but this cannot be considered genuine,' prosecutors said during the first trial. 'They were identified after a two-month police investigation, which included surveillance camera tracking and a search and seizure operation. Only after that did they submit letters labeled as confessions.' Prosecutors further argued that the crime could not be classified as spontaneous. 'Messages in the group chat between the defendants show they were aware the victim was a foreign national and attempted to manipulate the taxi's GPS location to mislead any future investigation,' they added. 'This case involves three defendants targeting a foreign female tourist they had never met before, who they encountered at a club in Itaewon,' prosecutors said. 'They took her to an apartment in Seocho District at 2 a.m. under the pretense of drinking more, where they collectively assaulted her. It defies common sense to claim this was not premeditated.' The case dates back to June 2024, when a female Chinese victim reported the incident to Seoul police. Taeil was summoned for questioning in August, and was later indicted on charges of special quasi-rape — a charge punishable by a minimum of seven years to life imprisonment if convicted. During the first hearing held on June 18, all three defendants admitted to the charges. Prosecutors also requested that the court impose mandatory sex offender registration, public disclosure of personal information and restrictions on employment in fields involving minors.
USA Today
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
K-pop star and ex-NCT member Taeil sentenced in rape case: Reports
K-pop star Taeil, a former member of the popular group NCT, has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for rape, according to reports. Taeil, 31, along with two other men, was sentenced for an assault that occurred in 2024, The New York Times and BBC report. All three men pleaded guilty to the rape, which targeted a Chinese tourist, according to the outlets. The men are accused of taking the woman from a bar in Seoul, South Korea, to one of the men's homes, where they assaulted her while she was heavily intoxicated. Prosecutors sought a seven-year sentence, but a district judge handed down a sentence half that amount, noting the men were first-time offenders, the outlets report. NCT member Taeil leaves K-pop group following sexual offense allegations Their crime was classified in South Korea as "special quasi-rape," which pertains to certain instances in which a victim is unconscious at the time of assault. All three men were taken into custody immediately and also mandated to complete a 40-hour training program for sexual violence. Following the accusations being made public, Taeil, whose legal name is Moon Tae-il, exited NCT in August. The group, a popular boy band in South Korea, was formed in 2016. In a statement posted to X at the time, NCT's agency SM Entertainment wrote: "We recognized the seriousness of the issue, and we have decided that Taeil can no longer continue team activities." NCT has remained intact as a group, under the umbrella of SM Entertainment, one of the country's largest K-pop labels. A 20-plus collective, the group is broken down into several different sub-units, including NCT 127, to which Taeil belonged.
The Irish Sun
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Top K-pop star Moon Tae-il, 31, gang-raped tourist with two other men after meeting victim in bar
K-POP star Moon Tae-il has been found guilty of gang-raping an unconscious tourist with two other men. The Korean artist who went by the stage name Taeil, pleaded guilty to raping a Chinese tourist he met in a bar in Seoul last year. 2 Taeil of NCT visits at Universal Studios, California Credit: Getty 2 Taeyong, Jaehyun, Yuta, Taeil, Doyoung of NCT attend 26th High1 Seoul Music Awards at Jamsil Arena in Seoul, South Korea Credit: Getty He, along with two other men, is said to have partied with the woman at the bar. They then took the victim in a taxi back to a defendent's house, where they took turns raping her while she was "heavily intoxicated". A court found all three of them guilty of aggravated assault. They have now been jailed for three-and-a-half years. They are also required to complete a 40-hour sexual violence treatment programme - and have been banned from child and youth-related institutions for five years. Moon, 31, was previously part of a boy band called NCT, but was kicked out of thr group last year after being accused of raping a woman. However, it is not clear if he was sacked because of the rape allgeations. Announcing his sentence, Judge Lee Hyun-kyung said: "The crime is severe. [The victim] likely suffered great mental pain from being a victim in an unfamiliar place.' Most read in Celebrity More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos . Like us on Facebook at
Scottish Sun
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Top K-pop star Moon Tae-il, 31, gang-raped tourist with two other men after meeting victim in bar
POP STAR RAPE Top K-pop star Moon Tae-il, 31, gang-raped tourist with two other men after meeting victim in bar Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) K-POP star Moon Tae-il has been found guilty of gang-raping an unconscious tourist with two other men. The Korean artist who went by the stage name Taeil, pleaded guilty to raping a Chinese tourist he met in a bar in Seoul last year. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 2 Taeil of NCT visits at Universal Studios, California Credit: Getty 2 Taeyong, Jaehyun, Yuta, Taeil, Doyoung of NCT attend 26th High1 Seoul Music Awards at Jamsil Arena in Seoul, South Korea Credit: Getty He, along with two other men, is said to have partied with the woman at the bar. They then took the victim in a taxi back to a defendent's house, where they took turns raping her while she was "heavily intoxicated". A court found all three of them guilty of aggravated assault. They have now been jailed for three-and-a-half years. They are also required to complete a 40-hour sexual violence treatment programme - and have been banned from child and youth-related institutions for five years. Moon, 31, was previously part of a boy band called NCT, but was kicked out of thr group last year after being accused of raping a woman. However, it is not clear if he was sacked because of the rape allgeations. Announcing his sentence, Judge Lee Hyun-kyung said: "The crime is severe. [The victim] likely suffered great mental pain from being a victim in an unfamiliar place.' More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
India Today
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Former NCT member Taeil sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for sexual assault
Former NCT and NCT 127 member Moon Tae-il, widely known as Taeil, has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison on charges of aggravated sexual assault, as reported by K-media. The verdict was delivered on July 10 by the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 26. Following the sentencing, Taeil was taken into immediate custody, with the court citing flight risk addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered the following conditions:Completion of a 40-hour sexual violence treatment programPublic disclosure of personal informationA five-year employment ban in child and youth-related institutionsTaeil and two other individuals were found guilty of gang-raping an intoxicated foreign woman at a residence in the Bangbae-dong area of Seoul's Seocho District in June 2023. During the initial trial held on June 18, all three defendants admitted to the charges. The prosecution, emphasising the severity of the case, had requested a seven-year sentence for each defendant. Prosecutors argued that the victim was deliberately placed in a taxi bound for a location different from the crime scene to prevent her from recalling details or facilitating police investigation. They noted that the defendants intentionally exploited the fact that the victim was a foreign response, Taeil's legal team expressed remorse, and noted that he had personally conveyed an apology through his court-appointed attorney. His defense highlighted his participation in preventive education programs and psychological counselling since the incident. His team also cited family hardship, noting that his mother had resigned from her job and that Taeil was only able to support the family through part-time work at a friend's his final statement to the court as quoted by Korean media, Taeil said, 'I am deeply sorry to everyone I have disappointed. If granted leniency, I will treat it as the last chance of my life and do everything I can to contribute meaningfully to society.'Taeil debuted in 2016 as a member of NCT U and gained popularity as part of SM Entertainment's boy groups NCT and NCT 127. In August 2024, SM Entertainment confirmed his involvement in the case and announced his departure from the group.- EndsYou May Also Like
