South Korean singer Taeil has quit the boy band NCT after being accused of sexual crime, his record label announced on Wednesday. The allegations were first communicated to the authorities in June, and Taeil’s departure from the band was announced on August 28 in a statement shared by SM Entertainment. According to Soompi, the label said that Taeil had mutually agreed to depart the bad after being “accused in a criminal case related to a sexual crime”.
The label also apologised for Taeil’s alleged actions, although the singer hasn’t yet commented on the matter. “We have recently learned that Taeil has been accused in a criminal case related to a sexual offense,” the label’s statement read. “As we were assessing the facts related to the matter, we recognized the severity of the situation and determined that Taeil can no longer continue his activities with the team (NCT). After discussing with Taeil, we have decided on his departure from the group. Taeil is currently cooperating fully with the police investigation. We will provide further statements as the investigation progresses. We deeply apologize for the concern and distress caused by our artist.”
NCT, or Neo Culture Technology, debuted in 2016 and has several sub-groups under the larger umbrella. Taeil was a part of NCT 127; other groups are called NCT Dream, and NCT Wish. According to reports, Taeil’s NCT band mates have unfollowed him on social media following the allegations; some have deleted pictures of him from their timelines. Fans have also expressed their anger by destroying photos of the singer, and abandoning him on social media.
SM Entertainment was forced to address a sex scandal involving NCT members Johnny and Haechan earlier this year. In recent times, several reports of sexual misconduct have emerged out of Korea’s hugely influential idol culture. A chatroom expose in 2019 affected scores of celebrities, and went on to be known as the landmark Burning Sun scandal, which shed light on incidents of rape and sex trafficking.
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