Former K-Pop Band Member Taeil, 2 Others Jailed For 3.5 Years For Raping 'Heavily Intoxicated' Chinese Tourist

South Korean singer and former member of K-pop boy band NCT Moon Tae-il, aka Taeil, has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for sexually assaulting an intoxicated Chinese tourist. His accomplices, Lee and Hong, have also been jailed.

Taeil, 2 others arrested

According to media reports, the trio pleaded guilty to the charges in June 2025. It is stated that they committed the crime in June 2024 and now the Seoul district court also gave identical sentences to the three of them.

As per a report in The Korea Times, Taeil, Lee and Hong met the woman at a bar in Seoul's Itaewon district. After heavy drinking, during which the woman became 'heavily intoxicated', the men took her by taxi to Lee's residence.

While she was unconscious and unable to give consent, the three allegedly took turns sexually assaulting her. Under South Korean law, this incident constituted aggravated rape, given the involvement of multiple individuals, as well as quasi-rape, due to the victim's incapacitated state.

Prosecutor demanded 7-year jail sentence

Media reports have also stated that prosecutors had requested a seven-year prison sentence for the 31-year-old singer, arguing that the suspects appeared to have intentionally relocated the victim to make it more difficult for her to remember the details of the assault.

Taeil appeared at the Seoul Central District Court on Thursday for the final verdict. All three defendants were taken into custody immediately following the sentencing.

In addition to their prison terms, they are reportedly required to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program.

Other offenders

Taeil is not the first K-pop celebrity to face jail time for sex-related offenses in recent years.

For those unversed, in 2019, Choi Jong-hoon and Jung Joon-young received prison sentences of five and six years, respectively, for raping women who were too intoxicated to consent and for filming and distributing videos of the assaults. In 2021, Seungri, a former member of BigBang, was sentenced to three years in prison for crimes including arranging prostitution at the Burning Sun nightclub.

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