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On February 9, NCT 127's official YouTube channel released the second episode of the Ay-Yo show, in which NCT Doyoung also participated. The content released for the promotion of their latest repackaged album, Ay-Yo, was a show in which the members participated in various activities, including quizzes.
As the members sat around to play a quiz, the controversy took root when they had to predict the type of coffee beans Johnny preferred in his brew. Naturally, each member named a number of nations, and Haechan stated,
"Jeolla-do"
This is a Korean province, and upon hearing this, Doyoung adds to the word by saying,
"Lado Lado"
The term Lado Lado Jeollado refers to slang used by far-right communities like Ilbe, which is quite controversial because Jeollado is politically left-leaning and this particular slang can be an offensive term directed towards that community.
Soon, people noted the offensive slang and held NCT Doyoung accountable for his actions, whether they were deliberate or unintentional. Doyoung, however, was quick to address the issue. He wrote a lengthy and heartfelt message in which he pleaded with fans to realize that there had been a simple misunderstanding.
Fans react to NCT Doyoung's long heartfelt message after the controversies surrounding use of Ilbe slang
As the issue gained momentum and many directed negative reactions to both the incident and NCT Doyoung in general, the idol felt that it was necessary to explain himself. Doyoung took to Bubble, a private fan-idol messaging app, and wrote a lengthy message defending his position and innocence in the matter.
Though he did not talk directly about the issue, he asked fans to trust and support him amidst misunderstandings. He wrote,
"Because I know how much y/n like me, I try to be a good person all the time. I don't want such misunderstandings to cause y/n to lose faith in me or cause any doubts in our trust for one another."
He continued,
"And I can promise you this: if and when you come across such misundertanding about me, you can absolutely trust me. No matter what the rumor, I am confident in myself."
After implying indirectly that his use of Ilbe slang was a coincidental misunderstanding in which he meant no harm to anyone, he went on to express his gratitude to the fans who stood by his side at all times. He writes,
"I wanted to let y/n that it is your love for which makes me work toward becoming a better person. Thank you. I appreciate you all. I'm so grateful that you all trust me and support me through it all."
While at first many were confused as to what misunderstanding NCT Doyoung was referring to, fans soon connected the dots. Since Ilbe is considered the most hateful online community, netizens were naturally angered upon hearing the slang and even fans were upset to see their faves engage in offensive and controversial circumstances.
Regardless, fans are hoping that now that NCT Doyoung's message has somewhat clarified the situation, netizens will comprehend his predicament.
