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NCT's Jungwoo trends after private pic of idol smoking leaks, fans say as an adult 'he can do what he wants'

The photo of the 22-year-old lead vocalist and the lead dancer of NCT U and NCT 127 quickly spread like wildfire, so much so, that Jungwoo’s name began trending on Twitter

On December 9, NCT member Kim Jung-woo, known more popularly as Jungwoo, trended on Twitter as fans became shocked to discover that a photo of him smoking surfaced online. A Twitter user shared a couple of photos of the K-pop star, writing, “NCT Jungwoo smoking photos wow.”

The photo of the 22-year-old lead vocalist and the lead dancer of NCT U and NCT 127 quickly spread like wildfire, so much so, that Jungwoo’s name began trending on Twitter. Some fans were concerned about the image he was presenting to fans globally, despite acknowledging that he was an adult and had every right to smoke.

“#JUNGWOO I know he is an adult and he is free but when you have so many fans you shouldn't do that or smoke. Smoking is really bad and so many people are following you,” wrote a fan on Twitter. Another fan wrote on Twitter, “Jungwoo smoking why why why,” along with crying emojis. One fan wrote, “smoking is really bad and I hope Jungwoo stops but goddamn does he look good.”

One Twitter user said, “So guys, the photos are indeed an invitation of privacy and Jungwoo is an adult. He is allowed to do anything he wants. My only concern is lung cancer because my grandmother died of lung cancer, due to smoking. Block the acc sharing the photos. I’m just a little worried, that’s it.”

But most fans seemed outraged at the idea of an adult man being policed for smoking. One fan wrote, “If you guys don’t stop coming for idols who are exposed smoking by ‘fans’, I’m gonna snap. They are adults and they can do what they want. It may not be healthy but if you call yourself ‘fans’ you need to support their choices. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.”

Another fan said, “If Jungwoo wants to smoke let him!! He is a grown a** adult. He isn’t a child. Stop acting like idols doing normal things like smoking, vaping, dating, etc. is bad!! Unless they are actually doing something illegal that's when you guys can get mad.” One fan said, “Jungwoo is an adult now and he can do what he wants so why are guys so overacting just because he's smoking???”

Back in October, another NCT member’s smoking habit became a topic of conversation on social media. Wong Yuk-hei, better known as Lucas along with other NCT members Hendery and Winwin, went live on Instagram. While doing a sing-along, Lucas accidentally flashed a pack of cigarettes to the camera. As per reports, after this mishap, Lucas stopped dancing, slid out of the frame, then continued filming Hendery and Winwin. Earlier this year, fans caught a glimpse of a pack of smokes in Lucas’s front pocket during a video fan-meet. 

While Lucas was trending on Twitter after the Instagram Live, fans were neither surprised nor judgmental. In fact, while most shared memes and jokes about Lucas reacting to the trend, some fans were supportive. 

NCT was formed by SM Entertainment.