This past week has brought one of the biggest structural shifts in recent K-pop history, with two prominent members of boy group NCT – Mark and Ten – announcing their departures from SM Entertainment. While Thai singer Ten is expected to remain a member of NCT and WayV following the termination of his exclusive contract, Mark has exited the group altogether, leaving many to wonder what this means for NCT as a whole moving forward.

On Monday, April 6, just days after Mark’s departure, SM Entertainment confirmed that they had mutually parted ways with Ten. "After in-depth discussions with Ten regarding the direction of his future activities, we would like to inform you that his exclusive contract has concluded as of April 8,” the company wrote in a statement. “In addition, we plan to coordinate so that Ten can continue to participate in WayV and NCT group activities in the future.”

Additionally, similar to Mark’s approach, Ten posted his own statement on Instagram stories, reflecting on the last 10 years in SM Entertainment. He explained that after he “reached the point of turning 30” he started asking new questions about who he is. He went on to explain a “desire to take on new challenges in a new environment.”

Both departures were met with support, though Ten's carried a notably different tone – he's leaving SM Entertainment, not NCT itself. This approach isn’t uncommon in K-pop – in fact, it’s proven to work successfully. For example, Girls’ Generation (Tiffany, Sooyoung, Seohyun), SHINee (Taemin, Onew), and MONSTA X (I.M.) all have members who have exited their respective companies while still participating in group comebacks.

However, there are also times when this strategy has not worked out as planned due to contractual or legal complications – most notably with veteran boy group EXO.

EXO's situation illustrates both sides of that equation. Chinese member Lay has navigated a complicated path since 2017 – reduced group participation driven by solo commitments in China and compounded by the Chinese government's informal ban on Korean cultural imports, which restricted concerts, dramas, and other content from 2016 onward. The recent thaw of that ban brought some improvement, most visibly on the group's latest album REVERXE, but Lay's promotional involvement has remained limited. The outcome is a member who is technically still part of the group but functionally absent for much of its activity – a grey area that neither side has fully resolved.

The situation with Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin – collectively known as CBX – is starker. The three departed SM Entertainment in 2023 following legal disputes over overdue payments and contractual terms, and have been absent from EXO activities since. Unlike Lay's situation, which exists in a grey area, CBX's relationship with SM has shown little sign of resolution – leaving one of K-pop's most prominent groups operating without three of its core members indefinitely.

With NCT now having to walk the same path, in addition to losing one of its most distinguished members, what does this mean for the group both musically and conceptually? Assuming Ten’s plans to continue promoting with NCT and WayV proceed without any snags, there shouldn’t be many noticeable differences in the groups’ sonic output or vision. Ten is known for being a performer at heart, becoming one of the industry’s most skilled dancers, and possessing a dream-like tone in his vocals. Specifically for WayV, he’s the one who provides the most sensuality in his performance, elevating each concept with an unmatched presence.

On the other hand, Mark is one of the members most commonly thought of when mentioning NCT – not only is he a founding member alongside Ten, but he’s considered the core of NCT itself. Every group he’s been a part of, whether it's NCT 127, Dream, U, or even SM’s supergroup, SuperM, seems to have been built at least partially around Mark’s innate versatility and his ability to fit just about anywhere with anyone. It became a running joke among the K-pop community to imagine which groups Mark would debut in next, earning him the title of “pro-debuter.”

As members of NCT 127, Mark and fellow bandmate Taeyong have laid the building blocks for SM Entertainment to be taken seriously when it comes to K-pop rappers – something the label notoriously struggled with pre-2016. Between his lyricism, sharp cadence, and infectious adlibs, Mark’s rap verses were always an event to look forward to and dissect with every 127 album. A few standouts are 2017’s “Cherry Bomb,” 2020’s “Kick It,” and the powerful rap-heavy B-side, “Skyscraper,” from their 2023 album, Ay-Yo. Even when the focus shifted to his vocals, the effect was just as distinctive. Now that he’s gone, it seems the rap parts will fall to Taeyong, Jaehyun, and Johnny, the latter of whom had already helped fill in for the former two during their military absences. While every member is capable of stepping up in their respective areas of expertise, the Mark-shaped hole will undoubtedly shake the foundation of NCT 127 and how their music is crafted for future comebacks.

For NCT Dream, this is a return to their 2019-2020 selves, when the group went on without Mark after he graduated from the lineup in 2018. During that time, the remaining six members steadily grew up and shed some of their initial bright and bubbly image, with hip-hop-driven title tracks like "Boom" and "Ridin'" proving they could hold their own without their eldest and heavy-hitter. Jeno and Jaemin are no strangers to carrying the rap side: they established their own subunit, NCT JNJM, earlier this year. Of all the units affected by departures over the years, Dream has the most obvious track record of navigating and maintaining success without a core piece of its puzzle, and the one fans feel most confident in.

With NCT 127 scheduled to perform at KCON LA this summer, that stage will be the first real indicator of how the group carries itself in this new configuration. WayV is set to release a new album in the third quarter, and on April 8, SM Entertainment announced NCT 2026 – the group's fourth studio album featuring all current members. The first full-group project since Mark's and Ten's departures, the second half of 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most consequential periods in NCT's history.