The first trial of Taeyil (real name Moon Taeyil), a former member of the group NCT, who has been indicted on charges of special rape, has been postponed to June.
According to Star Today, confirmed on the 9th, the first trial for Taeyil and two others, originally scheduled for the 12th at the 26th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court, has been postponed to June 18 due to violations of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (special rape).
The specific reason for the postponement has not been disclosed, but it is speculated to be for safety reasons, as former President Yoon Suk-yeol is also undergoing his third trial for insurrection charges at the Seoul Central District Court on the same day.
The Women and Children Crime Investigation Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Kim Ji-hye) indicted Taeyil and two accomplices without detention in March on charges of special rape under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act. They are accused of sexually assaulting a woman who was intoxicated last June.
Earlier, as it became known that the special rape charges were applied, suspicions arose that the perpetrators might have been armed at the time of the crime, but this has been confirmed to be untrue. The charges are established if a weapon is possessed or if two or more individuals engage in sexual intercourse with a victim who is incapacitated or unable to resist.
The police applied for arrest warrants for the three suspects after receiving a report from the victim, but the court dismissed the warrants, citing reasons such as the suspects admitting to the crime and the reduced necessity for detention. Ultimately, the police summoned Taeyil for questioning in August of the same year and transferred the case to the prosecution in September.
Taeyil debuted in 2016 as part of NCT's unit NCT U and has been active as a member of NCT and its sub-group NCT 127. However, he was expelled from NCT after it became known that he was accused in a criminal case related to sexual offenses in August of last year, and in October, he terminated his exclusive contract with his agency, SM Entertainment.
[Lee Da-kyum, Star Today Reporter]
