Taeil leaves NCT following allegations of a suspected sexual offence

South Korean singer Taeil has left NCT after being accused in a criminal case involving a suspected sexual offence.

Moon Tae-il, known professionally as Taeil, has departed from the K-pop group NCT following allegations in a criminal case related to a suspected sexual offence, as announced by SM Entertainment on Friday.

The company released a statement via X, stating: “We acknowledge the severity of the matter and have decided that Taeil will not continue with his group activities. After discussing the situation with him, it has been determined that he will leave the group.“ The statement further added that the 30-year-old artist is fully cooperating with the ongoing police investigation.

Although the exact nature of the alleged offence was not disclosed, the news has caused a major stir on social media, with the statement surpassing 45 million views in less than three hours.

NCT, short for Neo Culture Technology, debuted in 2016 and consists of several subunits, including NCT 127, NCT Dream, and NCT Wish, with a total of more than twenty members. Taeil was an active member of NCT 127.