Moon Tae-il Receives 3.5-Year Sentence in Aggravated Quasi-Rape Case
Moon Tae-il, 31, formerly of the idol group NCT, has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for aggravated quasi-rape. He was taken into custody immediately after the verdict on July 10 by the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Agreement Division 26, presided over by Judge Lee Hyun-kyung.
*WARNING: This post contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse*
Tae-il and two others, identified as Mr. Lee and Mr. Hong, were found guilty of sexually assaulting a Chinese tourist, Ms. A, who was intoxicated and unable to resist. The incident occurred around 4:00 AM on June 13 last year at Mr. Lee’s residence in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. All three must also complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program.
Prosecution Details Events Leading Up to Assault
According to the prosecution, the men met Ms. A at a bar in Itaewon around 2:33 AM and drank with her before taking her by taxi to the residence. The assault reportedly took place while she was unconscious. Afterward, they moved her away from the scene and put her in another taxi once it was daylight. Mr. Hong sent texts like, “Go out and put her in a taxi, make sure it’s recorded somewhere else.”
Police Identified Suspects Through CCTV and Interviews
The case was investigated by Seoul’s Bangbae Police Station after Ms. A filed a report. Police spent two months conducting interviews, analyzing CCTV footage, and searching the suspects’ homes. Mr. Lee and Mr. Hong turned themselves in on August 20, while Tae-il followed on August 28. SM Entertainment later confirmed Tae-il’s departure from the group, saying, “We recognized the gravity of the matter and decided that he could no longer continue group activities.”
During the trial, the court noted, “The defendants sequentially assaulted the victim by taking advantage of her state of incapacitation due to intoxication, which is a very egregious crime.” It also said, “The victim is a foreign tourist who suffered a crime in an unfamiliar place, and she appears to have experienced significant emotional distress.”
Mitigating Factors Considered in Final Sentencing
Still, the court considered some mitigating factors — all three were first-time offenders, they admitted to the charges, and they reached a settlement with the victim, who didn’t want punishment pursued.
On Tae-il’s claim of voluntary surrender, the court stated, “Even if surrender is acknowledged, it cannot be a discretionary ground for sentence reduction.” The court added, “At the time of surrender, objective evidence had already been collected and the defendant’s whereabouts were known, leading to the surrender after the search and seizure of the residence.”
Tae-il debuted in 2016 with NCT U and was active in both NCT and NCT 127 before his departure.
