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Ex-NCT's Taeil criminal case: First court hearing postponed to June as K-pop singer gets bashed for night out
Taeil's first trial regarding his quasi-r*pe case was postponed due to the date overlapping with a high-profile case. Read to know the netizens' reaction to it.
Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of sexual abuse.
The first hearing of former NCT member Taeil's quasi-r*pe case was supposed to be held on May 12 at the 26th Criminal Division (Section D) of the Seoul Central District Court. He and two of his accomplices were indicted for s*xually a*ssaulting a drunk woman. The accusation was made back in June of last year, and the indictment was made in March of this year. In the latest development in the case, Taeil's case hearing was reported to be postponed to June, as reported by K-media outlet Maeil Business Newspaper on May 9.
The postponement is reportedly due to scheduling conflicts with a high-profile trial of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, which will take place on the same day. The new date of Taeil's trial is June 18. Taeil and his accomplices were indicted without detention on charges of quasi-r*pe under the Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. The court, however, rejected the police's arrest warrants as the suspects had admitted their involvement. Taeil had skipped three initial police summonses, citing health reasons, sparking public criticism.
After the victim's filing of a report, the police applied for arrest warrants for all three suspects, but the court denied the requests. However, after the case's first hearing was finally scheduled, Taeil was spotted being out and about drinking with his acquaintances, baffling the masses. As the fan post about the ex-NCT member's outdoor drinking came just weeks before the initial trial date, the issue infuriated netizens. They made heated comments like, "Hopefully his next dinner gonna be in jail."
Due to the gravity of the alleged crime and his reported current whereabouts, the case's postponement didn't sit right with the public. They took to the online discussion portal Pannchoa to ask for a "harsher prosecutor" and demand he be put behind bars soon. They also condemned the artist for "going around bars" and "drinking with other women." Some even joked about the trial falling on the same date as the political figure. "I lived to see an ex-idol and ex-president's trials overlap," they wrote. The comment writer also sarcastically stated, "Amazing idol industry."
