Popular K-pop boy group NCT 127 recently held their fifth tour concert, 'THE REDLINE,' in Bangkok, Thailand. While the performance itself received an enthusiastic response from fans, a controversy erupted outside the venue regarding fan-made support items. Fans discovered that some banners and hand-held signs featured doll illustrations of the members, but conspicuously omitted leader Lee Tae-yong (이태용) while including Mark Lee (이마크), a former member who has since left the group. The images quickly ignited fan fury.
Photos shared by netizens show some fan signs expressing support and affection for the group. However, a closer look revealed that the doll illustrations representing the members did not include Tae-yong, but instead featured Mark, who is no longer with the group, leaving many fans stunned. One netizen angrily posted, "Why do 127 fans always exclude Tae-yong? I respect your choice to include a former member, but to exclude leader Tae-yong? What does that even mean?"
The photos quickly spread online, and other fans soon discovered similar situations with different support posters and hand-held signs at the venue, causing the exclusion controversy to escalate.
As public opinion intensified, the fan holding the controversial sign issued a public apology and explanation online. She stated, "First, I want to extend my sincerest apologies to Tae-yong and all his fans, as well as to other members and fans affected or mentioned in this incident."
She further explained that when she made the support banner, she genuinely believed she had included Tae-yong's character illustration. It wasn't until she saw a netizen on Twitter point out that Tae-yong's illustration was missing that she realized her mistake. She added that she was making several banners at the same time and was in a rush, which led her to not carefully check all the content.
She also emphasized that she never intentionally excluded or unsupported any member of NCT, and expressed her willingness to accept all criticism, blame, and suggestions. She stated that she would learn from this mistake and ensure similar incidents do not happen again.
However, the apology did not succeed in calming fans' anger. Instead, many believed she was just making excuses and found her explanation completely unacceptable. One person angrily criticized, "Careless when it comes to Tae-yong, but you remember to put in a former member? And you clearly know there should be two white dolls. Omitting Tae-yong or JW is unforgivable." They directly added, "Apology not accepted!" to express their dissatisfaction.
Other fans questioned whether the more she explained, the more it seemed that excluding Tae-yong was not a simple mistake. One commented, "The more excuses you make, the more it feels like your disrespect for him was intentional. The same goes for other fans who make free support items but deliberately exclude him. This kind of malicious and hostile fan mentality is truly unacceptable."
Additionally, some netizens sarcastically remarked, "It's precisely the leader, the only member who brought NCT 127 global recognition, yet you always 'forget' him. It's truly interesting." Some even believed that apologizing afterward was meaningless, angrily retorting, "This isn't a K-drama. You're on an American social media platform now. An apology afterward doesn't erase what you did. Please take responsibility for your actions."
The ongoing incident has once again brought attention to internal member support issues within the NCT 127 fandom. What was supposed to be a concert to support the entire group unexpectedly escalated into a fan controversy due to the exclusion of leader Tae-yong.
