South Korean singer Taeil has been removed from the K-pop band NCT following recent allegations of sexual misconduct.
SM Entertainment, NCT’s parent company, announced the decision today on X (formerly Twitter). The statement highlighted the seriousness of the allegations and outlined the immediate steps being taken. Taeil is cooperating with the authorities in their investigation, and both he and the label have agreed on his departure from the group.
The statement read:
“This is SM Entertainment.
We have recently confirmed that Taeil has been implicated in a criminal case related to sexual crimes.
While looking into the situation, we recognized that the issue is very serious, and we have decided that Taeil could no longer continue team activities. We have discussed this matter with Taeil and it has been decided he will be removed from the group.
Currently, Taeil is faithfully cooperating with the police investigation. We will share additional statements as the investigation progresses.
We deeply apologize for the controversy caused by our artist.”
Investigations are ongoing with the authorities.
Taeil debuted with NCT and its sub-units, NCT U and NCT 127, starting from the group’s pre-debut training in 2015. He has also contributed to various Korean soundtracks, including those for Twenty-Five, Twenty-One, Missing Crown Prince, and Love To Hate You.
NCT 127, one of the sub-units of the 23-member NCT group, achieved a Top 20 debut on the ARIA Albums Chart in 2021. Their album Sticker debuted at No. 16, reflecting the growing popularity of K-pop in Australia. It was also their highest-charting and long-running album in the United States, debuting in at No. 3 in 2021 with 3.6 million streams.
SM Entertainment, the largest music label in Korea, launched in Australian and New Zealand around the same time, and is guided by former Sony Music Australia executive Gavin Parry.
“NCT 127’s local chart result shows that the group, and more generally K-Pop, has become very relevant to the ANZ market and we can expect to see many more of SM Entertainment’s K-Pop artists impacting our charts in the near future,” commented Parry.
