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His agency, SM Entertainment, said it was investigating the matter but did not provide details about the sexual assault allegations.
South Korean singer Taeil has left K-pop band Neo Culture Technology (NCT) after being accused of sexual offences, his agency said in a statement on Wednesday.
Further information:
Who is Taeil?
Moon Tae-il (age 30), better known by his stage name Tae-il, is a singer and songwriter born in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
His singing career began when he was discovered by his label SM Entertainment in 2013. In 2016, he joined the boy band NCT when they debuted. He was the main vocalist of the band.
SM Entertainment is home to many successful K-Pop bands, including the world-famous boy band EXO.
NCT is divided into subunits, including NCT 127, NCT Dream, NCT Dojaejung, and NCT Wish. Taeil was recently active in NCT 127.
In August 2023, the singer was involved in a traffic accident while riding a motorcycle in Seoul, and underwent surgery, temporarily suspending his performance schedule.
Why did Taeil leave NCT?
SM Entertainment released a statement about X on Wednesday, saying Taeil had left NCT after being charged with a “criminal case related to sexual offenses.” They did not provide details about the sexual offenses.
SM’s statement has now been viewed over 100 million times.
The label added that the suspect singer is cooperating with the investigation by Seoul Bangbae Police Station.
Recent cases of “sexual misconduct” among K-pop stars
According to local media, in January prosecutors sought a seven-year prison sentence for former K-pop singer Himchan, from disbanded boy band B.A.P., on sexual assault charges. In April 2023, The Straits Times reported that an unnamed K-pop singer was accused of assaulting a fellow groupmate over a four-year period. In August 2021, K-pop singers Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon were sentenced to prison for sexual assault.
When K-Pop stars become victims
K-pop singers have reported being victims of sexual exploitation and other abuse by their agencies.
In November 2022, members of boy band Omega X asked a South Korean judge to release them from their multi-year contract with their agency Spire Entertainment. The members were particularly unhappy with agency executive Kang Sung-hee’s behavior during a concert in Los Angeles in October 2022. Kang resigned but denied any wrongdoing. In 2019, K-pop singers and brothers Lee Seok-chul and Lee Seung-hyun alleged that they were assaulted and threatened by the producer and the agency. The court fined the agency and sent the producer to prison.
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