Overview

• On July 10, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Moon Tae-il and two co-defendants to three years and six months in prison for special quasi-rape of an intoxicated foreign tourist.
• All three men were detained immediately after the verdict, must complete a 40-hour sexual violence treatment program, have their personal information made public and face a five-year ban on child- and youth-related work.
• The court classified the assault as aggravated because the victim was unconscious and the offenses were carried out by multiple perpetrators at a private residence following a night in Itaewon.
• Prosecutors had sought seven years behind bars, but judges reduced the term in half, citing the defendants’ first-offender status, guilty pleas and a private settlement with the victim.
• SM Entertainment terminated Moon’s contract and NCT removed him in August 2024, illustrating the K-pop industry’s swift professional response to serious misconduct.