"Give my man a break": Fans defend NCT 127's Haechan following the idol allegedly smoking indoors in the group's recent YouTube video

On Wednesday, January 10, NCT's Haechan was spotted allegedly smoking in NCT 127's recent YouTube video. As the group rolled out the behind-the-scenes of their dance practice for their latest winter single release, Be There For Me, fans naturally rushed in to tune into the same.

However, many netizens pointed out that the idol was holding what looked like an e-cigarette (otherwise known as a vape) and even took breaks between the practice sessions to smoke near the corners of the room.

Naturally, the internet was flooded with various reactions to the incident. Many criticized Haechan for smoking indoors since it could also affect or disturb the non-smokers who were in the room.

As the controversy continued to gain heat, SM Entertainment released a statement confessing that the idol admitted to having smoked inside the practice room and also stated that he'll be paying a fine from the authorities for the same. However, fans have been quite unsettled and skeptical about the entire incident.

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SM Entertainment releases NCT Haechan's apology statement as the idol gets tangled in smoking allegations

On January 10, NCT 127 released the behind-the-scenes for the dance practice of their winter single album release, Be There For Me. The thirty-minute-long video showcased several aspects of the members' dance practice, from them putting the choreography together slowly to the members hanging in between breaks.

One clip embedded in the video showcased Haechan in the background, and it was speculated that he was holding an e-cigarette and smoking the same. However, there were several debates revolving around the same since the smoke was never captured in the video, and a clear view of the vape was also hard to get. Regardless, the clip has now been removed from the dance practice video.

As the topic continued to garner more attention from netizens, SM Entertainment addressed the issue and released a statement about the same on January 11. Here's what the statement read:

"After the release of NCT 127's latest behind the scenes practice video content on January 10, we confirmed that Haechan was seen smoking an e-cigarette indoors. Today, we received notice of a penalty charged for this violation of smoking laws from the local health center, and so we intend on paying the fine. We would like to deeply apologize for causing many people concerns with such careless actions. We will take precautions so that the same mistake does not happen again."

While many SM artists and even NCT members were caught in a smoking scandal previously, this is the first time the agency has addressed and admitted to the smoking allegations of their artists through a statement release, and this naturally had netizens confused.

As fans continued to discuss whether SM Entertainment has a bigger motive behind the recent scandal with Haechan, they've also been defending the idol from other netizens' hate and criticism towards him.

They've been stating that he should be allowed to make his own decisions as an adult and his personal choices shouldn't be discussed. However, given that indoor smoking is considered illegal by Mapo-gu Public Health Center, SM Entertainment cleared up the air by stating that the idol is already preparing to pay his fine for the same.

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Regardless, fans' concerns have been more towards the idol's health concerns since he was recently announced to have gone into hiatus and paused promotions due to his recently developed tonsillitis.

Given that many fans hoped for Haechan's hiatus so that he could catch a break from his never-ending schedule, they've been hoping that the recent controversy doesn't interrupt the same.