K-pop singer Taeil leaves NCT following sexual offense allegations

K-pop singer Taeil has been accused of sexual offence and will be leaving the boy band NCT.

This news was confirmed by his agency SM Entertainment, as per an official statement reported by Soompi. Soon after the news surfaced, fans saw that fellow band member Haechan unfollowed him on Instagram.

SM Entertainment issued the following statement on 28 August. It read, "This is SM Entertainment. We have recently learned that Taeil has been accused in a criminal case related to a sexual offense. 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."

The statement went on to add, "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."

As fans were left shocked at the revelation, many also noticed that Taeil's NCT bandmate, Haechan has unfollowed him on Instagram. A fan posted about this on X (previously Twitter) and wrote, "If the members unfollowed him.i know this issue will be serious even his best friend unfollowed him.I don't know how to react to this case."

Taeil has yet to share an official statement from his account.

NCT 127 is the boy band NCT's first fixed and second overall sub-unit. It was formed and managed by SM Entertainment. They originally debuted on July 7, 2016, with their debut extended play NCT #127. The members of the group were Taeil, Taeyong, Yuta, Jaehyun, Mark, Haechan, Doyoung, Johnny and Jungwoo.