The prosecution has asked a Korean court to impose a seven-year prison sentence on Taeil (real name Moon Taeil), 31, former member of K-pop boy band NCT, and two others, who are facing charges of aggravated rape in South Korea.

The three are accused of sexually assaulting an intoxicated female Chinese tourist at about 4 a.m. on June 13 last year.

On June 18, the 26th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court held the first trial for Taeil and two others surnamed Lee and Hong who are facing aggravated rape charges under the Korean law Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.

Article 4 (aggravated rape) of the law states that “a person who commits a crime prescribed in Article 297 [rape] of the Criminal Act, carrying any weapon or other dangerous object or jointly with any other persons, shall be punished by imprisonment with labor for an indefinite term or for at least seven years,” according to the Korea Legislation Research Institute.

Besides the seven-year prison sentence, the prosecution also asked the court to order the three accused to complete a sexual violence treatment program and disclose their personal information, and impose a 10-year employment restriction.

At the trial that day, Taeil and the two accomplices admitted to the charges, Korean media reported.

When the court asked if he admitted to the facts of the indictment, Taeil briefly replied, “Yes,” the Hankyoreh Newspaper quoted him as saying.

Taeil’s attorney stated, “After the victim reached an agreement with Taeil, she expressed her intention to the investigative authorities not to seek punishment. Tae-il is regretting his mistake and is completing a sexual crime prevention education program, receiving psychological counseling, and pledging not to commit the same mistake again.

The lawyer added, “(Taeil) grew up with his younger sibling in a single-parent household, but the defendant’s mother quit her job due to the aftermath of this incident, and the defendant only does some economic work by helping out at an acquaintance’s restaurant, making it difficult for the family to make a living. I earnestly request that you look upon this matter with the utmost leniency permitted by law.”

In his final statement, Taeil appealed for leniency.

“I deeply regret the harm I caused to the victim. I apologize to everyone who felt disappointed in me. If you show me leniency, I will consider this my last chance in life and do my best to help society,” said Taeil.

But the prosecution is unconvinced.

The defendants committed a group sexual assault on a foreign female tourist, so the case is very serious and the nature of the crime is extremely bad. The defendants even talked about sending the victim away in a taxi after the crime, saying that they would intentionally send her to a different place than the crime site. They intended to use the fact that the victim was a foreigner to prevent her from remembering the crime site or to prevent the police from tracking her down, the prosecution stated.

The prosecution added, “Although a settlement agreement was submitted, please consider the gravity of the case and give him a sufficient sentence.

In August last year, NCT’s agency, SM Entertainment, announced Taeil’s removal from the K-pop group.

“We have recently learned that Taeil has been accused in a criminal case related to a sexual crime. While assessing the facts, we recognized the gravity of the matter and decided that he could no longer continue his team activities. After discussing it with Taeil, we decided to have him leave the team,” the agency said.

The court has set the sentencing date at 2 p.m. KST on July 10.