Former NCT member Taeil requests SC intervention after Seoul HC upholds sentence

Taeil is accused of sexual assault

Boyband NCT's former member Taeil, who was arrested on aggravated rape charges, has disapproved of the court's decision.

The singer is now requesting a Supreme Court review.

According to Star Today, Taeil and two accomplices appealed the second trial's verdict to the Seoul High Court's 11-3 Criminal Division on the 24th.

The appellate court upheld the initial sentence of three years and six months in prison on the 17th, dismissing the appeals of Taeil and two other individuals who were charged with violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes (aggravated rape).

The court also imposed a five-year employment restriction at organisations that serve children, adolescents, and individuals with disabilities, and mandated that they finish 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program.

The outlet reported that the court stated, “The defendants have admitted to all charges, and we considered that this was their first offense and that they reached a settlement with the victim, who does not wish for punishment.”

The court explained, “The sentence was determined after considering the victim’s reported sexual humiliation and psychological distress.”

Taeil and the prosecution had previously appealed, arguing that the sentence was unjust.

Taeil and the other two, who are currently in custody, are requesting leniency, stating that they have come to an agreement with the victim.

In June of last year, Taeil allegedly sexually assaulted a drunk woman with two acquaintances. Taeil and his two accomplices were charged with aggravated rape in February by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office's Women and Children's Crime Investigation Division 1 under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes.

Taeil kept his comeback activities going while hiding the fact that he was being accused of a sex crime. The day following his booking, on June 14, he engaged with fans via a live social media broadcast.

He also went to NCT 127's eighth anniversary fan meeting in August, two months later. His agency declared in mid-August that it had first learned of the incident and that Taeil would leave the team and end his exclusive contract after controversy erupted over his alleged sexual crime.

Taeil made his debut in 2016 as a member of NCT U, the organisation's original unit. Later, he was active in both NCT and NCT 127.