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Former NCT Member Taeil Submits Appeal In Court, Asking For Leniency
Taeil and the two other men were sentenced to three years and six months iprisonment for aggravated quasi-rape of a foreign woman in June 2024.
Moon Tae-Il, aka Taeil, and two other men were sentenced to three years and six months in prison for aggravated quasi-rape, a serious sexual charge under South Korean law. Following the court's ruling on July 10, the former NCT member has now filed an appeal to reduce his sentence. Previously, the two other defendants also submitted their appeals to the court, seeking to overturn their convictions.
On Wednesday, July 16, Taeil submitted his appeal to the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 26, which was presided over by Chief Judge Lee Hyun Kyung. In his appeal, the K-pop idol stated, 'I want to contribute positively to society and will do my best to live a better life." His co-defendants filed their plea for leniency on July 15.
The case began in June of last year, when Taeil and the two other non-celebrity men reportedly met the victim at a bar in Seoul's popular nightlife district, Itaewon. After having drinks together, they took the severely intoxicated woman by taxi to one of the defendant's homes and sexually assaulted her while she was unconscious. As per the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Taeil and his two accomplices were officially charged with aggravated rape under the Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.
The first trial for the case took place on June 18, over a year after the tragic incident occurred. Prosecutors claimed that the crime was pre-planned based on the messages that were obtained from their phones. DNA evidence was also found on the victim's body. The three men pleaded guilty to all the charges.
Taeil and his co-defendants were convicted of aggravated quasi-rape on July 10 by a court in Seoul. The former NCT member was taken into custody following the court's ruling. The two other men, identified only by their surnames, Lee and Hong, were also found guilty in the same case and received similar sentences.
The court reportedly stated, 'The defendants took advantage of the victim's incapacitated state to commit the crime. The nature of the offence is particularly egregious." They added, 'The victim is believed to have suffered significant psychological trauma as a result." While prosecutors requested a seven-year prison term, the court chose to reduce the sentence, citing the defendants' lack of prior criminal records. The prosecution side also filed an appeal to the court, arguing that their initial statement was too lenient, given the 'nature of the crime."
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First Published:
July 18, 2025, 09:54 IST
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