”I wonder if he's remorseful”... Prosecutors seek 7-year prison sentence for Taeil (former NCT) on ”sex crime charges”

Taeil (31, real name Moon Taeil), who was accused of sexual assault and left the South Korean boy band NCT, has been sentenced to seven years in prison by prosecutors.

　On the 18th (today), the 26th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court held the first trial for Taeil and his co-defendants, Lee and Hong, who are suspected of special quasi-rape (rape/non-consensual indecent assault) related to sexual assault penalties, and concluded the arguments.

　The prosecution requested the court to sentence each of the three defendants to seven years in prison, stating, “In this case where the defendants collectively sexually assaulted a foreign female tourist, the circumstances are extremely serious and the nature of the crime is extremely grave.”

　Additionally, the prosecution stated, “After the crime, the defendants even discussed releasing the victim at a location different from the crime scene by having her take a taxi,” and “They intended to exploit the fact that the victim was a foreigner to prevent her from remembering the crime scene and to hinder police investigations.”

　Furthermore, the prosecutor stated, “Upon reviewing the defendants' arguments, I have serious doubts about whether they are genuinely repentant and reflective about the incident,” and requested that the court “carefully consider the gravity of the case and impose an appropriate sentence, even if a plea agreement has been submitted.”

　Taeil's defense attorney referred to the agreement with the victim, stating, “The victim accepted the apology and indicated to the investigative authorities that they did not wish for punishment.” They added, “Taeil has reflected on his mistake and is participating in a sexual crime prevention education program and receiving psychological counseling to ensure he does not repeat the same mistake,” appealing for leniency.

　In his final statement, Taeil said, “I am deeply sorry to everyone who has been disappointed in me,” and added, “If you show leniency, I will consider it the last chance given to me in life and will do my best to live by doing any work that can contribute to society, no matter how small.”

　During the trial, the defense attorneys for Taeil, Lee, and Hong requested the court to consider the fact that they submitted confessions in August last year while the police investigation was ongoing. However, the prosecution countered, “After the incident occurred, the police conducted a search and seizure of the defendants two months later, and the confessions were submitted to the police after the search and seizure.” “This does not meet the legal requirements for a confession and undermines the meaning of a confession.”

The verdict for the three defendants will be handed down on the 10th of next month.

　Taeil was indicted at home in March this year on suspicion of sexually assaulting a drunk foreign woman along with his friends, Defendant Lee and Defendant Hong, in June last year.

On the other hand, Taeil debuted as a member of the NCT unit 'NCT U' in 2016 and has also been active as a member of ‘NCT’ and “NCT 127.”