Today (June 18, 2025), the first court hearing was held for former NCT member Moon Tae-il (known as Taeil), who is accused of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman along with two accomplices last year. The Seoul Central District Court’s 26th Criminal Division presided over the case. It was originally scheduled for May 12 but postponed due to scheduling conflicts with another high-profile trial.
During the court appearance, Taeil was seen in a laid-back black outfit.
Taeil Quasi-rape Charges and Allegations
Taeil and his two acquaintances face charges of “special quasi-rape” under South Korea’s Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. This charge applies when two or more people assault a victim who is unconscious or unable to resist.
The incident allegedly occurred on June 13, 2024, at 2:33 am after the group met the victim—a foreign woman—at a bar in Itaewon, Seoul. Prosecutors claim they took her to a residence in Bangbae-dong while she was heavily intoxicated and assaulted her.
The prosecution mentioned the charges against Taeil, who attended as a defendant, stating,
“The defendants, who are friends, coincidentally met the victim at an Itaewon bar around 2:33 AM on June 13th and drank with them. Afterward, they dragged the victim and put them in a taxi, moving them to the defendants’ residence in Bangbae-dong. Subsequently, from 4 AM to around 4:30 AM on the same day, they committed gang rape against the victim, who was lying unconscious due to being heavily intoxicated.”
Taeil’s Defense
Taeil’s legal team admitted to the charges but argued the assault was not planned, calling it an “accidental crime.”
“We submitted a letter of self-surrender to the police, and after much difficulty, we reached a settlement with the victim, who is Chinese, and received a statement that they do not wish for punishment.”
Prosecution’s Stance
During today’s hearing, prosecutors demanded a seven-year prison sentence for Taeil and his accomplices. They argued that the crime was premeditated, pointing to text messages exchanged between the defendants discussing how to mislead authorities by altering the taxi’s GPS location.
However, the prosecution stated,
“It is difficult to accept the claim of an accidental crime. Looking at the group chat messages, there are instructions to make the taxi’s location appear in a different place than the crime scene to avoid being tracked, knowing that the victim is a foreigner.”
Prosecutors also dismissed claims of genuine remorse, noting that Taeil only submitted a confession letter two months after police identified him.
“The incident occurred on June 13, and the police pursued the defendants for two months, conducting CCTV analysis and tracking. After two months, they conducted a search and seizure of the defendants. Following the search and seizure, they wrote a self-surrender letter and brought it to the police. They continue to claim it as a self-surrender, and I believe that this aspect is not an appropriate assertion. It does not meet the requirements for self-surrender as defined by law, and I believe it is an argument that greatly undermines the meaning of self-surrender.”
Meanwhile, Taeil was accused of quasi-rape in August 2024 and was immediately removed from NCT. What made fans even more furious was that he held a live broadcast on June 14, 2024, on his birthday, one day after the incident. The disgraced K-pop star also participated in the 8th debut-anniversary fan meeting with other members.
His lawyer revealed that Taeil’s mother lost her job due to the scandal and that he is now struggling financially, working part-time at a friend’s restaurant.
