SM Leisure — the Okay-pop company house to NCT, Aespa, Riize and extra — has introduced a member of NCT has been faraway from the band following an accusation of an unspecified sexual abuse.

In a press release uploaded to X, SM Leisure mentioned 30-year-old Taeil had been “accused in a prison case in relation to a sexual crime.” A spokesperson for the company instructed Selection, “Whereas assessing the details associated to this matter, we acknowledged the severity of the problem and decided that he can now not proceed crew actions. After discussing with Taeil, it’s been determined that he’ll withdraw from the crew.”

The company continued by stating Taeil was “absolutely cooperating” with an ongoing police investigation, and apologized “for the controversy attributable to our artist.”

NCT is the unique entity of the NCT universe, SM Leisure’s method to a multi-part boy-band venture. Initially conceptualized as having limitless members, the NCT universe additionally consists of the sub-unit NCT 127, NCT Dream and extra. Taeil was a part of the guardian NCT unit in addition to the NCT 127 sub-unit.

Earlier this 12 months, SM Leisure was pressured to deal with one other extensively publicized scandal concerning NCT members Johnny and Haechan, along with Heechul of the group Tremendous Junior. Allegations on-line accused the latter of being concerned in sexual affairs with bar hostesses. SM Leisure denied these rumors on the time.

NCT 127’s “Sticker — The Third Album” is their highest-charting and long-running album in america. It got here in at No. 3 in 2021 with 3.6 million streams and was by far the best-selling album of its debut week, thanks partly to the Okay-pop trade’s generally used technique of promoting the CD in quite a lot of deluxe bodily packages.