On Tuesday, October 3, SM Entertainment posted the individual concept photos of Taeil along with his fellow NCT 127 members for their upcoming album comeback, Fact Check. Fans were initially surprised to see the idol in the promotions since SM Entertainment released a statement previously explaining his exclusions from the majority of Fact Check promotions due to his recent leg injury.

While many believed it to be previously taken images, one image showcased the idol's wounded right knee. Though fans convinced themselves that the scars were part of the "wounded" concept followed in the teaser photos, SM Entertainment reuploaded the images after cropping out the wound, proving that fans' allegations were very much true.

Upon noticing the same, fans were outraged for making Taeil undergo a photoshoot when his wounds were still fresh. They've also been criticizing the agency for failing to protect and prioritize their artists' health.

Fans angry at SM Entertainment following the release of NCT 127's Fact Check concept photos that showcased Taeil's leg injury wounds

On August 15, SM Entertainment released a statement revealing that NCT 127's main vocalist, Taeil, had met with an accident while driving his motorcycle back home. The accident had left him with injuries on his right leg which required surgery.

While the idol himself reached out to fans through his Bubble account after the surgery, informing fans about his improving health condition, SM Entertainment still announced that the idol might be excluded from NCT 127's Fact Check album release.

When NCT 127's recent Fact Check concept photos included the idol, fans were naturally shocked and surprised to see the idol active after almost two months. However, the happiness was short-lived as they noticed that the concept photos had one of the images revealing the idol's wound.

While many fans initially speculated that it was the theme of the photoshoot since Haechan was also seen with a bandage on his wounded cheek. But they were proved rather wrong when SM Entertainment reuploaded the photos after cropping out Taeil's wound.

Fans were extremely upset for calling the idol into work when he needed to be resting and for showcasing his injury on the internet which naturally stands as an invasion of privacy. While many fans expressed their discontent with SM Entertainment, some netizens also argued that it might be his personal choice to participate in the promotions.

This became all the more plausible when Taeil talked about how he'd like to participate in the NCT Nation concert even just for ballads, though he wasn't able to.

He said through his first Bubble post after surgery,

"I wanted to perform the ballads at least, but I couldn’t. I’m sorry."

Regardless, fans still believe that whether or not it was his personal choice, the agency should have made sure to prioritize his health and demand his rest. In addition, fans were most upset about the violation of his privacy and SM Entertainment's carelessness in uploading the idol's injury on the internet without proper cross-checking thereby failing to protect their artist.

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