SM Entertainment — the K-pop agency that houses NCT, Aespa, Riize, and more — has announced the removal of an NCT member from the group after he was accused of unspecified sexual assault.
In a statement uploaded to XSM Entertainment said that 30-year-old Taeil “is being charged in a criminal case involving a sexual crime.” A spokesperson for the agency said, diverse“While assessing the facts of this matter, we recognized the seriousness of the matter and determined that he could no longer continue on the team’s activities. After discussing the matter with Tyle, it was decided that he would withdraw from the team.”
The agency continued, saying that Thayil is “fully cooperating” with the ongoing police investigation, and apologized “for the controversy our artist has caused.”
NCT is the original entity of the NCT universe, SM Entertainment's approach to a multi-part boy group project. Initially, the NCT universe was envisioned as having an unlimited number of members, including the sub-unit NCT 127, NCT Dream, and more. Taeil was part of the parent unit NCT as well as the sub-unit NCT 127.
Earlier this year, SM Entertainment was forced to deal with another widespread scandal involving NCT members Johnny and Haechan, as well as Super Junior’s Heechul. Online allegations accused the latter of having sexual relationships with bar hostesses. SM Entertainment denied the rumors at the time.
NCT 127's “Sticker — The Third Album” is the most widely streamed and longest-running album in the United States. It ranked third in 2021 with 3.6 million streams and was the best-selling album in its first week, due in part to the K-pop industry's common strategy of selling the CD in a variety of fancy physical packaging.
