Taeyil (31, real name Moon Taeyil), a former member of the group NCT, was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison for the charge of special rape and was taken into custody in court. Dressed in all black, Taeyil stood in court with his hands clasped in front of him as he listened to the verdict.
The 26th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Judge Lee Hyun-kyung) sentenced Taeyil and two others to 3 years and 6 months in prison for the charge of special rape under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act on the afternoon of the 10th. Taeyil, who had been on trial without detention, was taken into custody in court.
On this day, Taeyil appeared in court wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and long pants. When the court asked for his name and date of birth before the formal sentencing, Taeyil replied, “I am Moon Taeyil. (My birthday is) June 14, 1994.”
The court stated regarding the defendants' charges, “The victim was raped at the residence of defendant Lee by taking advantage of her incapacitated state due to intoxication. The nature of the crime is not good. The victim is a foreign woman and is presumed to have suffered significant mental distress.”
It continued, “However, considering that the defendants are first-time offenders, acknowledge their crimes, and the victim does not wish to pursue punishment after reaching an agreement, we will take these factors into account to reduce the sentence.”
The court also mentioned the defendants' claims for leniency due to their voluntary surrender.
The court explained, “In Taeyil's case, it can be evaluated as a legal voluntary surrender. However, this is merely a factor for artificially reducing the sentence. Considering that there is objective evidence at the time of surrender and the location was identified, and that the surrender occurred after a search of the residence, a double reduction is not applicable.”
Taeyil, who received a prison sentence in the first trial, was immediately taken into custody.
The court stated, “Since we are imposing a prison sentence, we believe there is a risk of flight and will issue a detention warrant,” and asked, “Do you have any objections regarding the detention?” Taeyil, who had only bowed his head, responded softly with his lips, “Yes.”
Taeyil was charged with sexually assaulting a foreign woman who was intoxicated along with two acquaintances in June of last year and was indicted without detention in March.
After the victim reported the incident, Taeyil was investigated by the police in August of the same year, and his then-agency, SM Entertainment, announced his departure from the team, stating, “We recognize the seriousness of the matter and have determined that he can no longer continue team activities.”
The prosecution requested a 7-year prison sentence for each of the three individuals, including Taeyil, during the first trial held on June 18, stating, “This is a very serious case where the defendants collectively sexually assaulted a foreign female tourist, and the nature of the crime is extremely poor.”
Meanwhile, Taeyil debuted in 2016 as part of the NCT unit NCT U and was active as a member of NCT and its sub-group NCT 127. However, he was expelled from the team after it was revealed that he was accused of sexual crimes in August of last year.
[Lee Da-gyeom, Star Today Reporter]
