NCTzens express immense dismay over Taeil’s sexual assault case

[Trigger Warning: Mentions of Sexual Abuse]

“Not all men, but always a man.”

The K-pop community has been shaken to the core, now restlessly following the shocking revelation that Taeil, the former main vocalist for NCT and its sub-unit NCT 127, has departed from the group after being accused of sexual offense. SM Entertainment announced the news on August 28, 2024, and has since been all over social media.

SM Entertainment did not reveal any other sensitive information surrounding the accusations, but acknowledged that due to the gravity of the situation, it was determined that he [Moon Tae-il] can no longer continue his activities as a member of NCT.

Taeil is also said to be in full cooperation with the police investigation.

The brief statement sent the K-pop community and the NCTzen fandom into a frenzy, with majority of the reactions being of absolute shock.

https://twitter.com/flwrgrlpop/status/1828746563100766607

SM Entertainment is also notorious in the K-pop fan community for being slow to react with regards to its artists’ cases. Seeing how swift their reaction and decision was to drop Taeil from NCT as well as the lack of rumors surrounding him then, fans assumed that all the allegations were true.

On August 29, 2024, the Seoul Bangbae Police Station revealed some information surrounding the investigation they have done. Taeil had been charged with alleged sexual offense after being reported by a legal adult woman “A” in June 2024.

SM Entertainment also commented on the information revealed by the police, after rumors had spread saying that they had willingly allowed Taeil to continue his promotions with the group. A source from the agency said that both they and Taeil had learned about the charges very recently in mid-August, and that Taeil had been questioned by the police on the 28th.

This is the reason for Tae-il’s presence during some of NCT 127’s promotional activities for their newest album, “Walk” and their recently concluded 8th anniversary fanmeeting from August 3 to 4, 2024.

NCTzens, especially 127zens, felt betrayed by Taeil and did not waste time in letting their disgust be known. Other known Taeil-fan accounts immediately “closed” their accounts, stating that they can no longer be fans of a sexual offender.

K-pop fans also aired out their expressing their disappointment on how there may be more male K-pop idols like Taeil. It is known that South Korea is also currently facing a deepfake porn crisis, with the issue only being made known just recently.

Let this controversy be a wake up call for all K-pop fans out there—we don’t know our idols behind the camera. We can’t be too complacent about how these people act in front of us because we don’t know who they actually are and how they are in private.

The fact that this has shocked many who thought that Taeil was a “green flag” especially to his team members is a sign that we cannot at all times trust male K-pop idols. It hurts see this happen, but we can never be too sure about the others.

All of us should be more vigilant now more than ever, especially with the unfolding of the deepfake sex crimes in South Korea. Everyone, and we mean everyone, should be human first before fans, and always side with the victims of sexual crimes.

 

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