Mark Lee Departs NCT Dream and NCT 127 After a Decade: What's Next?

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In a statement shared with <em>Billboard</em>, SM Entertainment confirmed that **MARK** would be departing the 24-member group exactly 10 years after he first joined the collective. &ldquo;After a long period of in-depth discussions with **MARK** regarding the direction of his future activities and following adequate conversations between both parties, we came to a mutual agreement to conclude his exclusive contract as of April 8. Accordingly, **MARK** will end all NCT activities, including **NCT 127** and **NCT DREAM**,&rdquo; the company said.










The statement praised **MARK** for demonstrating &ldquo;outstanding abilities&rdquo; in the group and as a solo act,&rdquo; saying they &ldquo;sincerely cheer&rdquo; him on in his future endeavors. The company also clarified that going forward **NCT 127** will continue with seven members &mdash;&nbsp;JOHNNY, TAEYONG, YUTA, DOYOUNG, JAEHYUN, JUNGWOO and HAECHAN &mdash;&nbsp;and that **NCT Dream** will move forward with six members &mdash;&nbsp;RENJUN, JENO, HAECHAN, JAEMIN, CHENLE and JISUNG.








**MARK**, who joined SM Entertainment as a trainee in 2012, graduating from the SM Rookies program to the NCT subunit NCT U in 2016 and then quickly moving up to **NCT 127** and its fellow subunit **NCT Dream**, thanked fans for their devotion in his letter, posted in English and Korean on Friday morning. &ldquo;Out of all the things my heart wants to say right now, I truly wish to say thank you,&rdquo; <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DWqKrQqkdDd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">he wrote</a>, just days after Lee and his fellow **NCT Dream** bandmates wrapped up their world tour with a six-show run in **Seoul**, South Korea.






&ldquo;Thank you for loving, supporting, and shaping me to become who I am today. I truly believe that our hearts have better sight than our eyes, and what my heart sees right now isn&rsquo;t a closing door but rather an opening new one.&rdquo; 






He expressed a hope, and some trepidation, about his next chapter &mdash;&nbsp;the details of which he did not disclose &mdash;&nbsp;saying that he will &ldquo;never forget the pieces of love and truth&rdquo; that the band&rsquo;s fans, known as Czennie, have shared with him. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not playing here, and I am for sure not playing with your guys&rsquo; hearts,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;You guys make me want to be a better person, and I hope my decision in life can only become a positive impact to anyone watching. I&rsquo;m truly and always thinking about you guys &hellip; and I&rsquo;ll really be working very very hard to make it all make sense.&rdquo;