He's so real and honest for this": Fans divided as NCT's Haechan expresses feelings about his alleged disconnect with the latest subunit, NCT WISH

On Thursday, January 25, NCT's Haechan went live on Instagram to spend some time with his fans and shared his thoughts on several topics as he interacted with the comments.

Naturally, the subject of his thoughts on the latest NCT unit, NCT WISH, which is scheduled to debut on February 21, also came up. He began by saying this was just his own opinion, and he wasn't sure if the other members of NCT felt the same way.

He then added that he felt a disconnect with the new members due to the age and career gap between him and the young members of the Japanese unit. He stated that with him stepping into his eighth year in the industry, it was difficult for him to see the new unit as his teammates. However, he also expressed that NCT WISH is the maknae of the group, and they worked hard to build the unit.

Therefore, though he doesn't feel close to them right now, he hopes for it to change over time. When his livestream landed on the internet, fans differed in their opinions. While some felt that he was shading the group and supposedly disrespecting him, others expressed that it was only natural that Haechan felt that way.

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Fans defend NCT's Haechan as netizens criticize the idol for expressing his disconnect with the latest sub-unit, NCT WISH

In October, SM Entertainment officially revealed the latest and final sub-unit of NCT, following the end of the reality survival show, NCT UNIVERSE: LA START, which was organized to pick out members to create the Japanese unit.

The members, Sion, Riku, Yushi, Jaehee, Ryo, and Sakuya, have rolled out two pre-debut singles, We Go! and Hands Up, and their official debut is scheduled for February 21.

However, ever since the unit's announcement, fans have expressed that it would probably be hard for the current members to blend well with the new unit due to the age gap and differences concerning experience in the industry. Following Haechan's livestream on January 25, many felt that it wasn't just fans' thoughts - the members themselves might be feeling the same.

Here's what the idol stated concerning NCT WISH:

"This is a personal opinion, really. But I’ve been doing this for 8 years now. They’re just debuting when I’m celebrating my 8th anniversary. So it’s not the easiest to see them as teammates yet. Like, I don’t feel all that close to them right now."

Haechan then added that his current opinion might change in the future.

"But they’re the maknae members of NCT, a group that we worked really hard to build. So, I do feel affectionate toward them. I really want the best for them. That being said, I am kind of curious. I mean, isn’t it OK if you don’t quite see them as a part of the team?"

He also added that NCT, in the beginning, also felt segregated, but they grew closer over time with the help of fans' support.

"When NCT first started, it started as separate teams. And the fandom consisted of different groups of fans for each of those teams. That was what was intended, too. So, while I think it’d be great if you liked them, it’s up to you guys."

Haechan concluded his thoughts by expressing that regardless of his personal opinion, he hoped that fans would continue to love and support NCT WISH as they worked hard to make their debut. However, netizens were conflicted by his opinion and expressed that they weren't pleased with his alleged ideology of not seeing them as teammates.

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Fans soon came to his defense, stating that he never meant anything ill towards the subunit but only expressed his honest opinions about how he felt about the group.

Given that NCT members have been spending years together, it is naturally going to be hard for them to connect with their new teammates. Therefore, they called out netizens for twisting his words around and praised Haechan for being honest and real about his feelings to the fans.