Moon Taeil, the 31-year-old former member of the K-pop group NCT, has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for rape.
The Seoul district court on Thursday convicted Taeil and two accomplices — identified only as Lee and Hong — for sexually assaulting a Chinese tourist in a case described by the judge as “extremely grave”.
Taeil had pleaded guilty last month.
The court heard that the three men met the victim at a bar in Seoul’s Itaewon district, where they drank together until she became “heavily intoxicated”.
They then took her to Lee’s residence in a taxi, where the assault took place.
Under South Korean law, the crime was classified as “aggravated rape” due to its group nature and as “quasi rape” because the victim was unconscious and unable to resist.
While prosecutors sought a seven-year sentence, the judge reduced the penalty, citing the defendants’ lack of prior criminal records.
In addition to prison time, the court ordered all three men to complete a 40-hour treatment programme for sexual violence offenders.
Taeil, who left NCT in August 2023 when the allegations first surfaced, had initially kept the details of the case private.
The K-pop group, known for its experimental music and global success, including Billboard chart entries, debuted in 2016 under SM Entertainment.
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