Mark explains why he left NCT and SM Entertainment: ‘I wanted to focus on my own dream’

Mark has once again made clear why he chose to leave the name NCT behind.

It was not retirement, nor was it a decision to walk away from music. Rather, Mark stepped outside the familiar world he had spent nearly a decade building in order to fully pursue the music and life he envisions for himself.

On August 14 KST, Mark spoke through his personal YouTube channel about his departure from NCT and SM Entertainment, opening up in detail for the first time about his feelings surrounding the decision and what he hopes to accomplish next.

News in April that Mark would end his exclusive contract with SM Entertainment and withdraw from all NCT activities came as a major shock to fans.

Beginning with NCT U in 2016, Mark became a central figure across NCT 127 and NCT DREAM while also expanding his activities through SuperM. Few members were as closely associated with multiple corners of the NCT system, making the end of his chapter as “NCT’s Mark” particularly significant.

Mark acknowledged that announcing the decision was far from easy.

He said he spent a considerable amount of time preparing the handwritten letter in which he informed fans of his decision, carefully considering how to express his gratitude toward those who had supported him throughout the past decade. He reportedly spent around two days completing the letter.

However, the heartfelt message also resulted in unexpected confusion.

Because Mark had not yet explained his specific plans for the future, speculation emerged that he might be retiring from the entertainment industry altogether. Rumors ranged from him pursuing busking to abandoning his career for an entirely different life, and Mark revealed that even his family became anxious after seeing the reactions.

The experience helped him understand the situation from fans’ perspective.

For Mark, the fact that he would continue making music had been so obvious that he had not realized how uncertain his future appeared to those watching from the outside. Fans knew he was leaving NCT, but they did not yet know where he was going next.

His answer was ultimately to let the music speak first.

Rather than trying to persuade fans about his future through lengthy explanations, Mark wanted to show them what came next through new work.

His ambitions as an independent artist are clear. Beyond succeeding as a solo musician, Mark wants to express his own definition of what is “cool” through music. He believes positive values can coexist with a powerful and compelling image, and hopes to create music capable of passing that idea on to the next generation.

Mark had already begun establishing his individual musical identity with his first full-length solo album 'The Firstfruit', released in April 2025. His post-NCT career now represents the next stage of building a musical narrative entirely under his own name.

Still, the clarity of Mark’s personal dream does not erase the sense of loss felt by NCT or its fans.

Mark was difficult to describe as simply one member among many. Moving between NCT U, NCT 127 and NCT DREAM, he played a major role in shaping the broader musical identity associated with NCT.

His distinctive rap delivery, performance style and energy became familiar parts of the group’s sound and stage presence. His position as a key member of both NCT 127 and NCT DREAM—two teams with markedly different identities—made his departure especially significant.

For fans, nearly a decade of memories is also attached to that name.

Many had watched Mark grow since his 2016 debut while supporting his relentless activities across multiple units. For those fans, the sudden end of his NCT activities represented more than a simple career move.

Mark himself acknowledged that gap in perspective. While retirement had never crossed his mind, he came to realize that fans had no way of knowing what his future held when his departure was first announced.

That makes their disappointment difficult to dismiss simply as an inability to accept an artist’s decision. Just as Mark has the right to pursue his own dream, fans who spent years supporting “NCT’s Mark” naturally have feelings about saying goodbye to that chapter.

The same applies to NCT. The group continues without him, but the absence of a member who spent nearly 10 years at the center of several units inevitably requires change and adjustment.

Two emotions therefore coexist in Mark’s decision: excitement for an artist willing to leave a familiar environment to pursue the music he truly wants to make, and sadness over the end of a chapter shared by Mark, NCT and their fans.

When his contract ended, SM Entertainment said the decision had been reached following extensive discussions, thanked Mark for his work over the previous decade and expressed support for his new beginning. Mark similarly shared his gratitude toward the members and fans while making clear his determination to focus on his own dreams.

The question now is less about why Mark left and more about what he will create after leaving.

Having stepped outside the enormous name of NCT in pursuit of his own musical vision, the meaning of that decision will ultimately be shaped by the music and career he builds from here.

At the same time, his decade with NCT cannot simply be erased from his story. The countless stages, albums and experiences shared with his members helped shape the artist Mark is today.

Mark has chosen a new path in pursuit of his own dream. Now, the music he says he wants to show the next generation will determine what this new chapter becomes.

And as fans wait to see where that path leads, their lingering attachment to the Mark they knew through NCT is likely to remain a natural part of the transition.