Moon Tae-il, known professionally as Taeil, a former member of the K-pop group NCT, has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for the gang rape of a Chinese tourist. The Seoul Central District Court delivered the sentence on July 10, 2025, also ordering his immediate detention. Two accomplices in the crime received the same sentence and were also taken into custody.
Taeil, who debuted with NCT in 2016 as part of the NCT U and NCT 127 subunits, had his contract with SM Entertainment terminated in October 2024 following the allegations. The charges against Taeil and his accomplices stemmed from an incident in June 2024. The victim, a Chinese tourist, was heavily intoxicated after meeting the defendants at a bar in Itaewon, a nightlife district in Seoul. The three men took her in a taxi to one of their residences in Bangbae-dong, where the assault occurred.
In March 2025, Taeil and his two co-defendants, identified by their surnames as Lee and Hong, were indicted without detention on charges of "special quasi-rape" under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. This charge applies when multiple individuals commit sexual assault against a victim who is unconscious or unable to resist. During the first court appearance on June 18, 2025, Taeil and his accomplices pleaded guilty to the charges.
During the trial, prosecutors requested a seven-year prison sentence for each of the accused, seeking a court-ordered treatment program, the release of their personal details, and a 10-year restriction on employment involving minors. However, the court handed down a 3.5-year sentence, taking into account that the defendants were first-time offenders, admitted to the charges, and that the victim did not wish to pursue punishment.
In addition to the prison sentence, Taeil and his accomplices were ordered to complete 40 hours of sexual violence education. They are also banned from working professionally in any career field related to children and youths for the next five years, and they will be registered as sexual offenders in their neighborhoods of residence.
Following the announcement of the allegations in 2024, Taeil was removed from NCT. Fans of the group reportedly made edits to remove him from songs and group images. Staff at a pop-up booth held in collaboration with Incheon International Airport covered up his pictures.
