NCT

NCT is one of the most unique boy bands in K-pop, with 26 members and four sub-groups under its umbrella.

The NCT franchise debuted in K-pop in April 2016 under SM Entertainment, starting with the EP "The 7th Sense / Without You" by NCT U, a five-member subunit with members Taeil, Taeyong, Doyoung, Ten, Jaehyun and Mark.

How many members are in NCT at the moment?

NCT currently has 26 total members as of 2024.

NCT was known for having 23 total members until the first half of 2023, but three members, Shotaro, Sungchan and Lucas have left the boy band.

Shotaro and Sungchan, who debuted as members of NCT and NCT U in 2020 and were not part of any other NCT sub-groups, left the boy band in May. The two members are set to debut as RIIZE, SM Entertainment’s new boy band set to debut in September.

Lucas, who has been taking a temporary hiatus from group activities since Aug. 2021 due to controversies regarding his personal life, left NCT and WayV on May 10, 2023.

What happened to NCT’s “infinite expansion”?

NCT debuted with the theme of “infinite expansion” and “limitless,” meaning that the system can flexibly introduce new sub-groups, add new members and “graduate” members from each sub-groups.

However, SM Entertainment officially announced in February 2023 that the infinite expansion system will be discarded from henceforth, which came as a part of the agency's "SM 3.0" plan to overthrow its old habits and restructure in a number of different ways.

The agency will conclude NCT’s limitless expansion with NCT NEW GROUP, its final sub-group set to release later in 2023. NCT DOJAEJUNG, its first fixed-member subunit featuring Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo also debuted with its first EP in April 2023.

“NCT’s new group is the last chapter of NCT’s limitless expansion, and we aim to create a team that is distinct yet fits NCT’s region-based identity,” Jang Cheol-hyuk, CEO of SM Entertainment announced through a YouTube video introducing the company’s future plans in May 2023.

NCT stands for both Neo Culture Technology and New Culture Technology. The former is the slogan meaning that NCT is an ever-expanding group that exists in all cities around the world. At first, NCT 127 and other units to follow were set to be linked to specific cities. For example, the 127 in NCT 127 is the longitude of Seoul. The latter, New Culture Technology, is the slogan that SM Entertainment has been pushing in recent years to fuse the latest technological advancements with K-pop, such as the DearU fan community app and online concerts. (2022.09.09)