NCT’s Jaemin “Accidentally” Drags SM Entertainment For Being “Cheap”

Idols speaking negatively about their companies was almost unheard of in the past, but these days, even trainees have revealed controversial secrets about their management.

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SM Entertainment, in particular, has been criticized repeatedly by fans but has also caught it from idols, including EXO and aespa.

Recently, NCT‘s Jaemin became another idol to criticize the company, though on “accident.”

NCT DREAM are currently in the United States performing at several 2023 Jingle Ball tour dates.

After the group’s performance at the Washington D.C. concert, they had some downtime, during which Jaemin, Jisung, and Jeno began a Weverse live.

While Jaemin’s affinity for English pick-up lines made fans laugh…

🐰: do you have a name?
🐹: huh?
🐰: can i call you mine?
🐹:
🐰: (jaemin explaining the pickup line)
🐹: oh… okay

😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/KrYntIlXy4

— ‎ً (@jaesungdaily) December 12, 2023

🩵: are you aliens? because your beauty is from another world

jaemin likes it 😆 pic.twitter.com/njUTAp2u4g

— َ (@archivesnjm) December 12, 2023

…another moment had them truly in stitches.

After a fan commented asking for hypoallergenic necklaces, Jaemin questioned if SM was causing allergies with the necklaces.

‘Please give us hypoallergenic necklaces.’ Why? Is SM Entertainment giving you allergies with the necklaces?

— Jaemin

Over the last few years, SM Entertainment has created jewelry merchandise for each group for things like comebacks and anniversaries. According to the SM Global website’s merch listings, these have usually been made of brass.

Brass is a lower-quality metal alloy made of zinc and copper that is favored because of its low cost. Jaemin talks about this, realizing the fan’s allergy must be because of the metal, calling it “cheap.”

Oh! It must be because of the metal, the cheap ones. It’s the cheapest kind, right?

— Jaemin

The NCT member then reads a comment from a fan directly criticizing SM’s pricing before getting stopped by Jisung and laughing.

Jaemin (reading fan’s comment): The ones that SM Entertainment sells for ₩10,000 KRW (about $7.61 USD) is only ₩100 KRW (about $0.08 USD).
Jaemin: It’s ₩500 KRW (about $0.38 USD)?
Jisung: You need to stop.
Jaemin: (laughs) I’m reading too many comments. 

Fans found Jaemin’s “unintentional” dragging of SM hilarious and urged him to “speak his truth.”

shshshhs jaemin exposing sm as he should https://t.co/DJDs1CHDWY

— nyang (@jaemqtpie) December 12, 2023

Speak your truth king https://t.co/iP1OPWFNJR

— ash 🌼 (@brightscars) December 13, 2023

LMAOOO JAEMIN YES PLS GET THEM https://t.co/WQsH458xj6

— 𝐜𝐲𝐧 (@itznajaem) December 12, 2023