On July 10, the Seoul Central District Court’s 26th Criminal Division held a sentencing trial for Taeil and three others accused of gang-raping a drunken foreign tourist. The incident took place in June last year at a villa in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul.
The Seoul Central District Court’s 26th Criminal Division (Presiding Judge Lee Hyun Kyung) sentenced Moon Taeil and his co-defendants, Lee and Hong, to three years and six months in prison each for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (special rape). All three were taken into custody in the courtroom.
The court also ordered them to complete a 40-hour sexual violence prevention program and banned them from working at institutions involving children, teenagers, or people with disabilities for five years.
However, the court stated,
We will take into account as a favorable circumstance the fact that the defendants are first-time offenders and that they reached a settlement with the victim, who does not wish for punishment.
Regarding Moon’s claim that he turned himself in, the court explained,
Even if voluntary surrender is acknowledged, it cannot serve as a discretionary ground for reducing the sentence. At the time of surrender, objective evidence had already been collected, the defendant’s whereabouts were known, and he surrendered only after a search and seizure of his residence. Taking this into consideration, the court is handing down a sentence with mitigation.
The former NCT member and his co-defendants met the Chinese tourist at a club in Itaewon during the early hours of June 13 at around 2:33 am. According to the prosecution, they drank with her, put her in a taxi, and took her to their villa. There, while the victim was unconscious from alcohol, they raped her between 4 AM and 4:30 AM.
The suspects admitted to the charges at their first trial on June 18. Prosecutors called it “a very serious crime with an extremely bad nature.” They demanded seven-year prison sentences for each man.
During the previous trial, Taeil’s legal side claimed that the crime was ‘committed accidentally.’ However, the prosecution disputed these claims by pointing to their group chats. Police tracked the defendants for two months, using CCTV footage and digital evidence to make arrests. Prosecution argued
The defendants are claiming the crime was accidental, but it is highly questionable whether it is reasonable to take a Chinese female tourist they had just met to a villa in Bangbae-dong at 2 AM, saying they would drink more. It is very doubtful whether this makes sense in any way, and if they had not planned the crime, there would have been no reason to act like that.
If you look at the group chat messages, there are contents indicating that they were aware the victim was a foreigner and instructed that the taxi location be recorded somewhere other than the crime scene to avoid being tracked.
Taeil’s legal team claimed he regrets his actions deeply and has apologized to the victim through his public defender.
They said the 31-year-old K-pop star is undergoing sexual crime prevention education and counseling. His side pleaded for leniency, explaining he now helps at a friend’s restaurant to support his family after his mother quit her job due to the scandal.
In his final statement last month, Taeil apologized to fans and the public, saying
I am deeply sorry to everyone who felt disappointed in me. If you grant me leniency, I will think of it as the last chance given to me in my life and do my best to live while doing anything that can contribute to society, even a little.
Due to the scandal, his agency, SM Entertainment, confirmed his crimes in August 2024 and officially announced his withdrawal from NCT and contract termination in October. Taeil debuted in 2016 with NCT U and later promoted with NCT 127.
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