“Generous” Idol Ends Up Facing Backlash After Surprise Fan Gift Spirals Into Messy Online Drama

NCT‘s Jaemin is facing criticism online after a surprise gift he prepared for fans unexpectedly spiraled into controversy.

NCT’s Jaemin | @na.jaemin0813/Instagram

Recently, posts on online communities, including a widely circulated discussion on theqoo, claimed that Jaemin had prepared 30 gift certificates for fans for “White Day,” celebrated in Korea on March 14, when men give reciprocal gifts to women who gave them gifts on Valentine’s Day.

Noona! Today is White Day, hehe. Right, right. I’m the one who should be giving this to you. It just took me a while to figure out my card situation. [Mobile Certificate]

— Jaemin

I couldn’t figure out how to undo the spending limit thing. Sigh. But still, happy happy White Day!

— Jaemin

However, the situation reportedly took an unexpected turn when one individual, believed by many netizens to be a non-fan, claimed at least nine of the gift cards for themselves. Screenshots and accounts describing the incident quickly spread online, with many fans expressing frustration over what they believed was someone taking advantage of Jaemin’s generosity.

NCTzens, no need to run to Emart before it opens today. Someone must have swiped all of them already. They all show up as cashed out at the Gumi location.

— NCTzen

All of them show up as having a zero balance or as cashed out at Gumi Emart, LOL. Which one of you all decided to get rich off this?

— NCTzen

As drama grew online, an X account allegedly belonging to the person who cashed out all nine certificates came forward, claiming that an Emart employee who helped got fired after angry fans made complaint calls to the mart location.

I shouldn’t have been so greedy when Jaemin gave these out as a generous gesture. I had no idea things would spiral out of control this big… The employee who helped me at the Gumi Emart has been fired because of your complaints. I’m really sorry. I should have done better, and I want to apologize to the employee. They didn’t do anything wrong. I’m so sorry.

— The “Culprit” In Question

As the discussion gained traction, Jaemin later became aware of the situation and reportedly distributed 10 additional gift certificates to fans to make up for the earlier issue.

Oh… I had some more left to share.

— Jaemin

However, rather than calming the situation, the move sparked further debate online.

Some netizens praised the idol for trying to resolve the situation and showing concern for fans. Others criticized him, arguing that the original distribution method had been poorly planned and that giving out more gifts only fueled further drama.

| theqoo

• I mean… He saw that everything had already blown up and still sent more, yet people say the idol did nothing wrong… haha.
• What is his problem…
• Jaemin, it seems like you think your fans are way more well-behaved than they actually are… let’s stop now.
• No, but the fact that he thought handing out cash wouldn’t cause problems LOL. At least ask your manager first. Did he think that if you threw money off a rooftop, people would line up politely and take just one bill each? LOL.
• Empty-headed LOL. I didn’t realize he’d be this out of touch with reality. It reminds me of Koreans traveling in Southeast Asia and handing out gifts and tips.
• Why is he acting like this?
• Why is he like this?
• He should’ve just given out coffee coupons or something—then more fans could’ve received them.
• Sigh…
• Does he not understand what’s going on?
• Of course, he didn’t intend it, but he seems like the type who doesn’t think things through. This is a perfect example of someone getting criticized even after giving something.
• The moment a celebrity gets involved, it becomes an impossible situation LOL.
• I mean… even if the intention was good, once you realize the outcome wasn’t good, you should just stop.

As the discussion continued to spread across Korean online communities, the incident became a hot topic among fans and netizens alike, with many debating whether Jaemin’s actions were simply a well-meaning gesture that went wrong—or an avoidable controversy.

NCT