Taeil, the former member of NCT, has recently made his first online move following a huge controversy. On September 4, the idol took to Instagram and went into digital hiding, making his profile private. The account, which has approximately 4.9 million followers, has seen a rapid decline in popularity after Taeil’s involvement in a sexual offense case.
This virtual move also comes just days after SM Entertainment announced that Taeil would no longer be part of NCT due to the aforementioned criminal offense. The company made it clear that the former member would no longer participate in the group and confirmed the authorities are investigating the case.
Following this confirmation, most NCT members unfollowed Taeil on social media, and fan reactions were quick and intense. NCTzens (that’s the name NCT fans have) decided to collectively unfollow the idol, making the following number drop by over a million, several fan pages shut down and some others destroyed Taeil’s merch in protest.