BREAKING: SM Terminates Their Contract With Former NCT Member Taeil

Taeil’s contract with his agency SM Entertainment has been terminated!

On October 16, SM entertainment issued an official statement to announce their contract with the former NCT member has been terminated as they could not trust him as an artist.

Below is the official statement from SM Entertainment:

This is SM Entertainment.
We would like to inform you that the exclusive contract with Taeil has been terminated as of October 15, 2024.
Taeil is currently under investigation by the prosecution due to a criminal complaint. This not only constitutes grounds for contract termination, but also, given the loss of trust in him as an artist, both parties have agreed to terminate the exclusive contract.
We sincerely apologize once again for any concern caused by Taeil, who was previously an artist under our company.

Previously, SM issued a statement to its Twitter account to announce that Taeil has been implicated in a “criminal case related to sexual crimes.” SM said that after they looked into the situation and realized the severity of the matter, they’ve removed Taeil from NCT and will no longer carry out group activities.

Later, it was reported that Taeil was being investigated for quasi rape along with two other people which applies when a weapon is involved or when two or more people collaborate to sexually assault a person who is unconscious or otherwise unable to resist. If found guilty, the crime falls under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, with a penalty of at least seven years in prison or a life sentence.

Taeil debuted as a member of NCT in 2016, serving as the main vocalist and being part of the subgroups NCT 127 and NCT U.