Moon Tae-il to attend first hearing over 'quasi-rape' case
Former NCT member Moon Tae-il, known mononymously as Taeil, will face his first court hearing on May 12 along with two others charged with "quasi-rape", reported South Korean news outlet allkpop. South Korean laws describe "quasi-rape" as engaging in sexual intercourse while the other person is unconscious or unable to resist.
The Korea Times reported in March that Taeil was indicted without detention on charges of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman with two acquaintances. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office's Women and Children's Crime Investigation Division 1 indicted all three individuals in February.
The court rejected the Seoul Bangbae Police Station's appeal for arrest warrants for Taeil and the other two suspects, revealing that they had admitted to the crime, which in turn reduced the need for detention. Two months after receiving the victim's reports, police then summoned the singer in August for questioning and forwarded the case to the prosecution in September.
Taeil, however, did not show before the prosecutors, with his legal team providing medical documents and a statement from his attorney to validate his leave. Meanwhile, all suspects maintained that the crime was not premeditated.
In August last year, the 30-year-old singer left his K-pop group following an unspecified sexual crime accusation, as per a statement released by SM Entertainment. The statement also assured the public that the singer was cooperating with the investigation.
"While assessing the facts related to this matter, we recognised the severity of the issue and determined that he can no longer continue team activities," it said. "After discussing with Taeil, it's been decided that he will withdraw from the team We deeply apologise for the controversy caused by our artist."
While SM Entertainment had announced Taeil's departure back then, his contract was formally terminated in October. "Taeil is now under investigation for a crime, which is cause for contract termination because our trust in him as an artist has been severely damaged. The termination came as the result of a mutual agreement," the company said.
Taeil was a member of both the larger group and NCT's sub-unit NCT 127, which released its sixth studio album Walk in July. After suffering from a motorcycle accident in August 2023, he went on a hiatus to undergo surgery and focus on recovering, which limited his activities with the group.
The company notified, "As he still needs sufficient treatment and stability, Taeil will not be able to participate in NCT 127's third tour NEO CITY – THE UNITY scheduled for November. We ask for fans' generous understanding."
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