Grace Diviny, Staff Writer
After a decade-long run as one of K-Pop’s most important figures, NCT rapper and singer Mark
Lee has decided to call it a day and has left the 25-member group.
On April 3rd, Lee’s company SM posted a statement on Weverse regarding Lee’s contract. In it,
they stated his end to his ten-year contract with the company whilst withdrawing from all
activities with NCT, which read, “We would like to sincerely thank all fans for your continued
love and support for NCT. After a long period of careful and thoughtful discussion with Mark
regarding his future activities, we have mutually agreed to conclude his exclusive contract as of
April 8.”
Lee then took to Instagram to post a heartfelt letter to his fans, where he thanked them for their
support and love for him over 10 years. “Out of all the things my heart wants to say right now,
I truly wish to say thank you. Thank you for loving, supporting, and shaping me to become
who I am today,” his post read, whilst members of his group commented in support of his
decision. Going forward, Mark’s respective groups, NCT 127 and NCT Dream, will continue as
7-member and 6-member pieces for future endeavors.
This announcement comes after NCT Dream’s emotional concert on March 29th, where many of
the members got deeply emotional on stage in a way that many fans noted had not been seen by
the members since Mark temporarily left the subunit for a year and a half in 2018 before
rejoining in mid-2020
Lee first joined SM as a trainee in 2012 after taking part in their auditions held in his province of
British Columbia in Canada, where he became a part of SM Rookies during his training. In April
2016, he officially debuted under NCT’s U subunit before debuting in NCT 127 and NCT Dream
later that year. He also was a part of SM’s supergroup called SuperM, and officially made his
solo debut in April 2025 with his album The First Fruit.
Many NCT fans, who are referred to as NCTZens, are feeling a wave of sadness and shock at
Lee’s decision given his dedication to his group and career, in which they are uncertain how his
subunits will continue on given his popularity amongst fans and integral role in both of his
groups as the main rapper and writer.
However, a good majority of fans are also at peace with the decision he made. Many NCTZens
and even K-Pop fans in general know that Mark Lee was arguably the busiest and at times, the
most overworked member in the group. Out of the five current units the group has, he was in at
least three of them and at times, had overlapping schedules with his groups that made it
impossible for Lee to have a say in his own well-being. Fans see his departure as his way of
regaining his autonomy and freedom after spending a good portion of his life since his teen years
of what appeared to be no time for himself or to even see his own family, and that he can finally live his life without constant burdens or stress being placed upon him in the strict rules and
constraints of the K-Pop industry.
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