SM, NCT Flea Market Sells 'Sex Offender' Taeyong's Clothes.. Inspection Disaster [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

SM Entertainment (hereinafter SM)'s planning capabilities and institutional investor system have collapsed into a horrific disaster.

On the 6th, to mark the 10th anniversary of the NCT brand launch, SM held an 'NCT Flea Market' selling costumes related to members' activities and personal collectibles.

This meaningful event was organized so that artists and fans could revisit the narrative of the past decade and own significant items. However, the meaning of the event was shattered the moment it began due to a fan's angry social media exposure.

On the morning of the 6th, one fan posted a message titled "NCT Flea Market Publicized" on their personal SNS, venting their anger. They said, "I thought the brand was expensive so I gave up looking for it and just bought it, but what are they trying to say by selling clothes of a convicted sex offender? Is there any fan who wants to buy clothes from a criminal? I will formally protest to SM." This directly criticized SM's farce of not even conducting minimal item inspections, despite the flea market collecting an extensive collection of members' past performance costumes.

The fan uploaded side-by-side images of the outfit they purchased for a considerable sum of 150,000 won and photos of Taeyong actually wearing that same outfit in the past, presenting clear evidence. They also stated, "I barely managed to get an apology and a refund. I bought one set, but during my time, I ended up buying only a 10,000 won pair of glasses and received no compensation," expressing their grievance.

Taeyong, the owner of the problematic outfit, is not a member who left the group due to a simple slip of the tongue or a minor personal life controversy. He was indicted in June 2024 for sexually assaulting a foreign woman while intoxicated along with two acquaintances and received a final three-year-and-six-month prison sentence last December. At that time, the court imposed heavy penalties including imprisonment, completion of a 40-hour sexual violence treatment program, and a five-year ban on employment related to children, adolescents, and persons with disabilities.

Due to the severity of the crime and the heinous nature of the offense, SM immediately expelled him from NCT upon learning of the incident and terminated his exclusive contract, implementing a thorough stop-loss selling strategy. He is a figure who should leave no trace in the group's glorious history and has inflicted terrible trauma on fans.

Nevertheless, the fact that an item bearing the scent of this permanently banned serious criminal was openly displayed on the sales stand of a flea market titled "10th Anniversary Commemoration" has caused immense shock to the public.

As the controversy spread uncontrollably, SM admitted to StarNews on the 7th, confirming that Taeyong's clothes were indeed sold.

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*This content was translated by AI.