Taeil, a former member of K-pop group NCT, has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for sexual assault after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction.
According to legal sources on Tuesday, the Supreme Court's First Division on Monday rejected appeals filed by Taeil (31, real name Moon Tae-il) and his two accomplices, identified only by their surnames Lee and Hong, who were indicted on charges of special quasi-rape under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.
The three were also ordered to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs and are banned from working at institutions serving children, juveniles, and people with disabilities for five years.
Taeil and his accomplices were indicted in June last year for raping an intoxicated foreign woman. In July last year, the first trial court sentenced all three to three years and six months in prison and ordered their immediate detention, stating that "the crime was committed by exploiting the victim's inability to resist, making the nature of the offense extremely grave."
During closing arguments in the appeals trial, Taeil said, "I acknowledge all charges and deeply regret my actions. While I cannot undo the harm done to the victim, I sincerely apologize." However, the court declined to reduce the sentence, citing the severity of the crime and the lack of restitution to the victim.
Although Taeil had already left NCT at the time of sentencing, the case is considered unusual in the entertainment industry as the incident occurred during his active career and resulted in a confirmed prison term by the highest court.
In previous cases, Seungri, a former member of BigBang, served 18 months in prison after being convicted of nine charges including arranging prostitution and overseas gambling. Himchan, a former member of B.A.P, received a three-year prison sentence suspended for five years on charges including sexual assault and illegal filming.
In 2019, the K-pop industry was rocked by the "Burning Sun scandal," considered one of the worst sex crime cases in the music industry. Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon served five years and two years and six months, respectively, before being released upon completion of their sentences.
