“I feel sick,” wrote one ofMoon Tae-il’s fans after learning of the singer’s forced resignation from South Korean boy bandNCTfor being “implicated in a criminal case concerning asexual offense,” according to the Korean entertainment companySM Entertainment.
HighlightsTaeil, formerly of NCT, forced to resign after being implicated in a sexual offense case.SM Entertainment confirms investigation and immediate action, refraining from detailing the allegations.Fans express shock and heartbreak, with many believing Taeil’s removal indicates his guilt.
SM Entertainment released an official statement on X, verifying that the measures will take effect immediately but refusing to divulge the precise nature of the allegations.
Tae-il is said to be cooperating with the authorities as the investigation continues. His departure has left the group’s future uncertain and his fans in shock as other members of the group and the agency unfollowed him on social media.
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K-pop star Tae-il was kicked out of South Korean boy band NCT due to being implicated in a sex crime scandal
Image credits:Han Myung-Gu / Getty
“We recognized that the seriousness of the issue meant that we could no longer continue our team activities,” read thestatement, which has more than 80 million views at the time of writing.
NCTis a boy band composed of25 members, itself subdivided into six groups, such as NCT U and NCT 127, both of which Tae-il was a part of.
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The artist has been a part of the band since 2016 and contributed to its success in charting eightalbumson the Billboard 200, including top-10 placements with albums likeSticker: The 3rd Album,2 Baddies,andNCT #127: Neo Zone.
Tae-il was also notorious for at one point holding theGuinness World Recordfor the fastest time to reach 1 million followers on Instagram, with the award being given to him in November 2020.
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NCT fanswere shocked and heartbroken after hearing of their idol’s release.
“I think the fact he was removed and scrubbed from the group and the members’ accounts mean there is not a single doubt he is guilty,” one fan argued, pointing out that SM Entertainment has been removing Tae-il’s mentions and photos from their pages, as well as unfollowing him onsocial media.
Some fans expressed disappointment, while others were left in disbelief at the alleged crime.
“It’s scary how you can idolize someone who is actually a bad person but you have no idea because their job centers around making you fall in love with them,” said one upset fan.
Image credits:The Chosunilbo JNS / Getty
“Taeil? The Taeil?! He is the last person I would’ve imagined to be involved in any sort of crime,” expressed another in denial.
Some speculated that whatever evidence authorities found during the investigation must’ve been serious since, according to them, this is the first time in a decade SM Entertainment has cut ties with an idol due to a scandal.
Kakao, the corporation that owns SM Entertainment, announced on July 2024 the decision to sell the majority of its subsidiaries, including the K-pop firm
The controversy comes one month after Korean media reported that Kakao, the company of which SM Entertainment is a subsidiary, announced theselling of most of its assets.
“Except for assets identified as future core businesses, we have decided to sell everything,” a Kakao representative said in apress release, “SM Entertainment, identified as a cause of various prosecution investigations, has been internally decided to be sold.”
The aforementioned investigations are linked to SM’s founder, Kim Beom Su, who faced prosecution for manipulating the business stock price during negotiations.
“Right now, SM is at its highest profitability and peak value, making it the perfect time to sell it at a high price. It seems logical that SM would be the first priority for sale since selling requires a good product,” the representative continued.
Fans speculated that Tae-il’s sudden removal was a calculated move to protect SM Entertainment’s image amid ongoing investigations
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“My theory is the police have been quietly investigating for some time and someone tipped off SM that they were either going to arrest Taeil,” one user said on Reddit.
“They wanted to get ahead so that the public would look at them like they did the right thing. They’re trying to protect their own interests.”
Official statements and quotes were translated from Korean to English for this article.
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