Former NCT Member Taeil Reportedly Charged for Sexual Assault, SM Entertainment Breaks Silence

Former member of NCT, Taeil, has been indicted on charges that relate to the alleged sexual assault of a woman with two other men.

Koreaboo reports that on October 7, Taeil was investigated a week ago on charges of special rape. He was investigated by the Bangbae Police Station before the case ended up going to the Seoul Central Prosecutors Office. Taeil has yet to be summoned to the office.

According to the outlet, Taeil was investigated for having raped an intoxicated girl with two of his friends. The investigation revealed that the two other men involved in the alleged incident were not celebrities or famous people.

Special rape refers to when two or more people collectively assault a victim, or a person sexually assaults another while carrying a weapon, making the victim unable to defend themselves.

If Taeil is found guilty of the charges brought against him, he could face up to 7 years or life in prison.

SM Entertainment has broken their silence on the former NCT member's legal issues. In a brief statement collected by Koreaboo, the label said that it is difficult to comment on the matter as of now.

"The case is under investigation and it is hard to give a statement at the moment," they said.

In August, it was announced that Taeil would be leaving NCT following allegations of an unspecified sexual crime. He previously joined in 2016 and played a factor in the success of the group NCT 127, one of NCT's sub units.

SM Entertainment shared a statement after his departure to Billboard.

"We have recently learned that TAEIL has been accused of a criminal case related to a sexual offense," they said.

"While assessing the facts related to this matter, we recognized the severity of the issue and determined that he can no longer continue team activities. After discussing with TAEIL, it's been decided that he will withdraw from the team ... We deeply apologize for the controversy caused by our artist," the statement continued.

This is not the first controversy for the group, as fellow members Johnny and Haechan were embroiled in a sex scandal after being accused online. In those allegations, several Japanese users of the platform X uploaded a string of posts claiming that the two idols were involved in a sexual affair with three girls during a trip to Tokyo, Billboard reports. These allegations were denied by SM Entertainment.

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