Mark Departs SM Entertainment and NCT

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - K-pop idol group NCT member Mark will terminate his contract with SM Entertainment and leave the group on April 8.

According to the Soompi page, quoted by Antara, the agreement was announced via a letter uploaded by SM Entertainment on Friday, April 3, local time, after discussions with Mark regarding the plans and direction of his activities.

“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,” the statement read.

Since making his debut in 2016 as part of NCT, Mark has demonstrated exceptional talent, both as part of the group and as a solo artist. He has been highly active over the past 10 years. SM Entertainment will continue to support Mark as he leaves the team and takes the next step in his career.

The company announced that NCT 127 will continue their activities with seven members going forward: Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, and Haechan. NCT DREAM will continue with six members: Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung.

"We will continue to spare no effort in providing our full support for the activities of the NCT members, and we will do our utmost even more for the fans who continue to love NCT without change," the company concluded.

Mark also used his personal Instagram to confirm this by writing a message to fans in English and Korean. He wrote that his last 10 years with NCT have created many memories. Appearing on many stages and being with the Czennies (NCT's fan nickname) since his SM Rookies days has made his career journey one he has loved for over 10 years.

He said that even during his career with NCT and SM Entertainment, he dreamed of singing with only an acoustic guitar and of becoming an English songwriter.

"And since this is the time when my 10-year contract is coming to an end, I awakened every sense I’d been carrying in my heart and thought about it for a long time. In the end, I found myself truly curious about what the exact, fully realized shape of that dream might be—and I wanted to dive in and devote myself to it properly," Mark wrote.

Mark said that all of the NCT members supported his decision. He thanked all the members who encouraged him to pursue his dreams. He also apologized to his fans, both those who love him as "Mark NCT" and his general fanbase, if this change came as a big shock or caused hurt feelings.

"To every Czennie, and to everyone who has known me and supported me up until now, I want to say as strongly as I can: thank you. Truly, truly, thank you. Thank you for letting me live as the happiest person for the past 10 years," he wrote.

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