On July 28, 2023, NCT’s first-ever full-group offline tour titled NCT NATION: To The World was announced. As anticipated, the comeback of all NCT members was expected to bring joy to their fans, but contrary to expectations, the fandom's took an unexpectedly negative turn. The concert will happen on August 26 at 6 pm KST in the Incheon Munhak Stadium, Seoul.
The reason behind this unpredictable reaction lies in the management SM entertainment, their agency. Fans expressed their disapproval by criticizing the company for not allowing the members to have sufficient rest and subjecting them to excessively demanding schedules.
NCT, a much beloved K-pop group, comprises five sub-groups: NCT U, NCT 127, NCT DREAM, WayV, and the recently announced NCT DoJaeJung. A sixth group is on its way called as NCT TOKYO.
Fans demand the cancellation of the previously much-awaited NCT NATION tour
SM Entertainment, the entertainment company representing NCT, made the tour announcement through their official social media channels. Alongside the announcement, a stunning and cutting-edge whole group poster was revealed, featuring each member proudly standing under the title of NCT.
This whole NCT crew, consisting of 20 members, are having their first ever concert, but this news failed to excite fans and rather had them express their disappointment over this. After several comments expressing the same were posted on social media, two major reasons became prominent.
First, it’s the drastically adverse effects that the tour will have on the artists’ health due to their ever-busy schedules. Second, they think the fandoms have already been divided enough and an absence of unity might be noticed among them, which will prevent them from enjoying the concert wholeheartedly.
Regarding this, fans blamed SM company due their ridiculous schedules. Such health-fearing incidents happened quite recently when member Haechan suffered from shoulder and back pain due to the ever-tiring performance schedules. Member Mark's health has also been said to compromised due to this as he has constantly been making his fans aware about his exhaustion. Due to these incidents, fans believed that rest of the members might be tired as well.
NCT, which stands for "Neo Culture Technology," is a South Korean boy group formed by SM Entertainment in 2016. Unlike traditional K-pop groups, NCT is unique in that it operates as a rotational project group with an ever-changing lineup. The concept behind NCT is to have multiple sub-units based in different cities around the world, with each unit focusing on various markets and musical styles.
According to the schedule, following the kick-off concert in Seoul on August 26, NCT will embark on a tour to Japan, where they have planned a total of four concerts. Fans in Osaka can catch them performing at the Yanmar Stadium Nagai on September 9 and 10, while Tokyo fans will be treated to their performances at the Ajinomoto Stadium on September 16 and 17.