Why are NCT 127 fans upset over the recent Taeil teaser ahead of comeback record ‘Fact Check’?

K-Pop group NCT 127 are about to make their comeback with the release of their new album, ‘Fact Check,’ later this week - but SM Entertainment seem to have landed in hot water with some NCTzens (credit: KPopStarz for the word) over one of their teaser photos featuring group member Taeil.

It comes as some eagle-eyed fans spotted something on Taeil’s leg which made them feel uncomfortable about the teaser; the wounds he suffered after this motorcycle crash in August of this year. 

Though the NCT 127 member didn’t require emergency surgery, it was enough of a collision that SM Entertainment had to release a statement assuring fans he was receiving essential healthcare and that for the time being all of his scheduled activities would be suspended.

But now, fans are voicing their dismay over the teaser image, and the rather gruesome after-effects of his motorcycle crash in the build-up to the release of ‘Fact Check,’ with some questioning the management team’s use of him for promotional purposes instead of concentrating on his recovery.

That has now also prompted a renewed conversation about how overworked some K-Pop musicians are regarding their managerial contracts, with one X user suggesting that the image not be taken down and instead, in the words of one netizen, “[...] should be the opposite, nobody should be forced to clock in for work like this. How will that terrible company be ever held accountable if the fans buying everything?”

SM Entertainment has yet to comment on the controversy.