NCT’s Taeil Exits K-Pop Group Following Sex Crime Allegations

SM Entertainment — the K-pop agency home to NCT, Aespa, Riize and more — has announced a member of NCT has been removed from the band following an accusation of an unspecified sexual abuse.

In a statement uploaded to X, SM Entertainment said 30-year-old Taeli had been “accused in a criminal case in relation to a sexual crime.” A spokesperson for the agency told Variety, “While assessing the facts related to this matter, we recognized the severity of the issue and determined that he can no longer continue team activities. After discussing with Taeil, it’s been decided that he will withdraw from the team.”

The agency continued by stating Taeil was “fully cooperating” with an ongoing police investigation, and apologized “for the controversy caused by our artist.”

NCT is the original entity of the NCT universe, SM Entertainment’s approach to a multi-part boy-band project. Initially conceptualized as having unlimited members, the NCT universe also includes the sub-unit NCT 127, NCT Dream and more. Taeli was part of the parent NCT unit as well as the NCT 127 sub-unit.

Earlier this year, SM Entertainment was forced to address another widely publicized scandal regarding NCT members Johnny and Haechan, in addition to Heechul of the group Super Junior. Allegations online accused the latter of being involved in sexual affairs with bar hostesses. SM Entertainment denied those rumors at the time.

NCT 127’s “Sticker — The Third Album” is their highest-charting and long-running album in the United States. It came in at No. 3 in 2021 with 3.6 million streams and was by far the best-selling album of its debut week, thanks in part to the K-pop industry’s commonly used strategy of selling the CD in a variety of deluxe physical packages.