Ex-member Taeil jailed for rape

South Korean singer Taeil, formerly from the K-pop band NCT, has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for rape.

Taeil, 31, and two accomplices, named in South Korean reports only as Lee and Hong, admitted in June to taking turns assaulting their victim – a Chinese tourist.

A district judge in Seoul described the crime as “extremely grave”, but handed them just half the seven-year sentence requested by prosecutors, noting they were first time offenders.

The court also ordered the three men to complete 40 hours of a treatment programme designed for perpetrators of sexual violence.

The court heard they had met their victim at a bar in the Itaewon district in Seoul.

She became “heavily intoxicated” after drinking with them, the court heard. They then got into a taxi to Lee’s house, where the assault happened.

South Korean law describes this specific kind of rape as “aggravated” because it was a group attack, and a “quasi rape”, as the victim was unconscious.

Taeil, whose real name is Moon Tae-il, left NCT in August last year when allegations first emerged, although the exact details of the crime were not publicly known at the time.

Introduced as a K-pop band in January 2016, NCT is known for its experimental music spanning various genres and has gained international attention with some releases charting on Billboard lists.

Additional reporting by Hyojung Kim in Seoul