K-pop singer Taeil leaves boyband NCT over accusation of an unspecified sexual crime, his label says

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean singer Taeil has left K-pop band NCT after being accused of an unspecified sexual crime, his label introduced Wednesday.

His company, SM Leisure, launched a press release on X, saying the NCT member will depart from the boy band after studying he has been “accused in a legal case associated to a sexual crime.” The label didn’t specify the character of the crime.

“We acknowledged the seriousness of the difficulty, and we now have determined that Taeil can now not proceed staff actions,” the label mentioned. “Now we have mentioned this matter with Taeil, and it has been determined that he’ll depart the group.” The label added that he’s absolutely cooperating with the police investigation.

Taeil was a part of NCT, or Neo Tradition Know-how, a globally well-liked South Korean boy band that debuted in 2016. The group at present has over two dozen members divided into a number of subunits, together with NCT 127, NCT Dream, and NCT Want. Taeil was lately energetic in NCT 127. Identified for experimental music spanning numerous genres, the group has gained worldwide consideration with some releases charting on Billboard lists.

SM Leisure’s assertion garnered over 45.7 million views in lower than three hours.

The report of a legal case couldn’t be independently verified, and police declined to remark.

K-pop originated from South Korea and is an amalgamation of pop, R&B and hip-hop sounds from the West whereas mixing cultural components of the nation. It has grown into a world phenomenon, significantly after the success of the boy band BTS in late 2010s.