"Silence is so loud" — Fans react to NCT's Taeil's alleged lack of media coverage following the s*xual assault charges

Netizens are furious over the lack of alleged media coverage following NCT’s Moon Taeil aka Taeil’s s*xual assault charges. On Wednesday, August 28, 2024, SM Entertainment announced the departure of Moon Taeil from the K-pop group NCT and its fixed unit group NCT 127 through their official X page.

According to the agency, this was after he got involved with a criminal lawsuit for s*xual offense allegations. The agency discussed with the K-pop idol and concluded that he would no longer continue his activities as a part of the 20-member boy group.

The agency stated,

“We have recently confirmed that Taeil has been sued in a criminal case related to a s*xual crime. While trying to ascertain the facts, we recognized the severity of the matter and have decided that it would no longer be possible for him to continue team activities.”

They further added,

“Taeil is currently cooperating fully with the police investigation, and we will provide additional statements.”

Netizens and fans have shared their concerns online regarding due to the alleged lack of follow-up news from South Korean media regarding Taeil's s*xual assault charges and investigation. Netizens raised further allegations against SM Entertainment for being the reason behind less coverage.

One X user commented,

“wow silence is so loud from k medias no articles for taeil case.”

Other users chimed in with similar sentiments.

“SM is doing some SERIOUS damage control. Not a single article about Taeil. No news sites speculating or engaging in theories. None of that. Just radio silence. SM is literally suppressing the media.” - said one user.

“The topic was literally how easy media moved on from Taeil’s case!” - added another user.

Some netizens drew a comparison between BTS’s Suga and NCT's Taeil’s alleged media coverage.

“But these thousands articles over a dui on e scooter which didnt cause any injury or damage, is not normal in normal world, just bcs he is Suga! And yet the other person commented there is no celebrity bullying by K media! Taeil w worse crime gets hardly any articles abt him.” - wrote one user.

“The way the news and hype has died down about taeil, meanwhile *cat emoticon* had THOUSANDS of articles and korean media after him...” - commented another netizen.

“It is interesting to see that suga’s scandal got a lot more coverage by korean media than taeil’s, like every hour we had an update but rn its almost crickets.” - added another user.

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SM Entertainment denies covering up NCT's Taeil's alleged s*xual assault detail from fans

Translation of SM Entertainment that confirms that Taeil has departed from NCT (Image via X/@truzfilm)

On August 28, K-pop idol Moon Taeil was charged with s*xual offense accusations, and on the same day, his agency SM Entertainment announced his removal from the group NCT. According to Chosun's report on August 29, a criminal complaint was filed against Taeil back in June 2024.

The news drew negative reactions from fans and netizens as the singer was seen promoting some of the recent comeback activities in August, including schedules like NCT's 8th Anniversary fan meeting. Netizens alleged that SM Entertainment attempted to cover up the details of the allegations against their artist.

However, according to Chosun, the agency reportedly denied curtaining the incident stating that they, along with Taeil, were unaware of the complaint registered against him up until mid-August.

On August 29, they said,

“We and Taeil first learned of the accusation in mid-August. Taeil was investigated by the police on the 28th.”

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Meanwhile, the official social media pages of NCT and its units have unfollowed Taeil's solo account on Instagram.