Former NCT member Taeil indicted for special quasi-rape with accomplices

Taeil, formerly of the idol group NCT, has been indicted without detention on charges of sexually assaulting a woman along with his acquaintances. It was belatedly revealed that an arrest warrant had previously been requested for Taeil but was denied.

According to legal sources on the 4th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office’s Women and Children's Crime Investigation Division 1 (Chief Prosecutor Kim Ji-hye) brought Moon and two accomplices to trial on charges of special quasi-rape under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act on the 28th of last month. They are accused of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman in June of last year.

Following the revelation that the police had applied the charge of special quasi-rape, rumors circulated suggesting that a weapon was involved in the crime. However, this has been confirmed to be false. This charge applies when a person commits sexual assault while possessing a weapon or when two or more people act together to engage in sexual activity with a victim who is mentally incapacitated or unable to resist.

In June of last year, the Seoul Bangbae Police Station, which received the victim’s report, applied for an arrest warrant for the three suspects. However, the court dismissed the request, citing that the suspects had admitted to the crime and therefore did not require arrest. Ultimately, the police summoned Taeil for questioning in August, two months after receiving the report, and referred him to the prosecution in September.

The suspects claim that the crime was not premeditated. Unlike his accomplices, who appeared for questioning at the prosecution, Taeil refused to comply with the summons, citing health reasons. It has been reported that he submitted a medical certificate and a lawyer’s statement.

Taeil debuted as a member of NCT’s unit NCT U in 2016 and was also a member of the group’s subunit NCT 127. Following the lawsuit, he was expelled from his agency, SM Entertainment, in October of last year.