Taeyil (31, real name Moon Taeyil), a former member of the group NCT, who was indicted without detention on charges of special rape, bowed his head and acknowledged all charges.
On the morning of the 18th, the 26th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court held the first trial date for Taeyil and two other defendants charged with violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (special rape). It was originally scheduled for the 12th of last month but was postponed. The charge of special rape is established when two or more individuals engage in sexual intercourse with a person who is unable to resist due to mental or physical incapacity.
On this day, Taeyil appeared in court with the other defendants and introduced himself, saying, "I currently have no job. I was a singer, but I was expelled from my agency after this incident. I am working part-time."
The prosecution explained that Taeyil had taken the victim in a taxi while detailing the charges. In response, Taeyil's lawyer stated, "We acknowledge all charges, but he helped the victim, not forcibly took her. We submitted a confession letter and have reached an agreement with the victim."
He emphasized that the defendants' actions were impulsive and not premeditated crimes.
The prosecution sought a 7-year prison sentence for Taeyil and a 10-year employment restriction. The prosecution stated, "While the defendants have submitted a confession letter and are considering leniency, it is difficult to view this as a genuine confession," and pointed out that "after two months of police investigation, the defendants were identified, leading to a search and seizure, and only after that was the confession letter submitted."
All three defendants, including Taeyil, acknowledged the charges. In his final statement, Taeyil expressed, "I deeply regret the pain I caused the victim and I am sorry. I also apologize to everyone who felt disappointed because of this incident," adding, "If given leniency, I will consider it the last opportunity in my life and will do my best to contribute to society in any way."
Taeyil is accused of raping a woman who was intoxicated along with two acquaintances in June of last year. The Women's and Children's Crime Investigation Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Ji-hye) indicted Taeyil and two accomplices for special rape under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act in February.
It was revealed that Taeyil concealed the fact that he was accused of sexual crimes and proceeded with comeback activities. He conducted a live broadcast on SNS and interacted with fans the day after he was charged, on June 14 of last year.
During the broadcast, Taeyil said, "Thanks to the Ciznies (fan club name), I was able to spend such a happy birthday," and added, "I’m thinking about what to do for my birthday. I couldn’t have a birthday party because my activities are in a vague situation. I have a leg issue and some other problems, so I started looking for venue schedules late. So the timing didn’t match."
He also attended the NCT 127 8th anniversary fan meeting two months later in August. After his sexual crime allegations became public and controversy arose, his agency announced in mid-August that they had first learned of the incident and that he would be leaving the team and terminating his exclusive contract.
He debuted in 2016 as part of the first NCT unit, NCT U, and has since been active as a member of NCT and NCT 127.
