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South Korean singer Taeil was questioned by the police on Wednesday and dropped from the band NCT amid accusations related to a sexual crime.
Local media reported that Seoul’s Bangbae police station filed the case in June after receiving a complaint from an adult woman and Taeil, 30, has been under investigation since then.
Fans accused his label SM Entertainment of being aware of these allegations and still allowing him to perform at events on 3 and 4 August.
However, SM Entertainment told Korean media outlet Newsen that they only found out about the investigation in August, following which he was dropped from the band.
“Both the company and Taeil first learned about the indictment in mid-August. Taeil was questioned by the police on 28 August,” a statement provided to Newsen said.
On the same day, SM Entertainment released a statement in Korean saying that Taeil would be leaving the band after being accused of an unspecified sexual crime.
“This is SM Entertainment. We recently confirmed that Taeil was sued for a criminal case related to a sexual crime. We recognized the seriousness of the issue, and we have decided that Taeil can no longer continue team activities,” the label said.
“We have discussed this matter with Taeil, and it has been decided that he will leave the group. Taeil is fully cooperating with the police and we will provide further statements as the investigation progresses.
“We apologise for the controversy caused by our artist.”
Taeil, whose legal name is Moon Tae-il, has not commented publicly on the allegations. He was part of the band NCT, short for Neo Culture Technology, which debuted in 2016. The band has 25 members and is divided into several different sub-units, working under a multi-boy band concept which allows the NCT universe to have unlimited members.
NCT 127, the sub unit that Taeil is a part of, released their third Korean studio album, Sticker, in 2021, which debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, becoming the longest and highest-charting K-pop album in the US in that year.
Earlier this year, SM Entertainment and NCT was mired in a similar scandal, after allegations against members Johnny and Haechan surfaced online, saying that the men had paid for sex and using drugs while in Japan.
The label denied the rumours and stated that they would take legal action against the owners of the social media accounts that made the allegations.
“These sensational rumours [are] entirely false and constitute criminal acts that severely damage our artists’ reputations. We have already gathered sufficient evidence regarding numerous posts related to these matters,” the statement said.
“We will not overlook such criminal acts and will take legal action against those involved without leniency or settlement, regardless of their nationality.”
