The Supreme Court has finalized the sentence for Moon Taeil, former member of the group NCT.
According to Xportsnews, the Supreme Court’s first division on December 26 rejected the appeal filed by Taeil and his two accomplices. This decision means Taeil will serve a 3.5-year prison sentence for charges under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes (Aggravated Quasi-Rape).
Authorities indicted Taeil without detention in March after accusing him in June of the previous year of sexually assaulting a foreign woman under the influence of alcohol with two acquaintances. In the first trial held last July, the court sentenced him to 3.5 years in prison. The court also ordered him to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program and imposed a five-year employment restriction from institutions involving children, teenagers, and people with disabilities.
Two accomplices initially filed an appeal, followed by appeals from the prosecution and Taeil’s legal team, leading to a second trial. However, in October, the court dismissed these appeals and upheld the original sentence.
Taeil’s legal team challenged the second trial’s ruling by filing a final appeal, but the Supreme Court did not accept it.
During his final statement, Taeil expressed deep regret, stating, “I deeply regret and am only sorry for causing significant harm to the victim. I want to take this opportunity as my last and live a life helpful to society,” as he bowed his head.
Taeil debuted with NCT U, the first unit of NCT, in 2016 and participated in various units, including NCT 127. However, this incident led SM Entertainment to terminate his exclusive contract and resulted in his exit from the entertainment industry.
