Singer Lucas will leave boy bands NCT and WayV, SM Entertainment said via a statement uploaded on the agency’s social media Wednesday.

“We have an announcement regarding Lucas’s future activities,” the statement reads. “After careful discussions between the agency and Lucas, he has decided to leave NCT and WayV to pursue solo activities. The decision is believed to be the best for [NCT] members and fans. We ask for understanding from fans who supported Lucas as an NCT and WayV member.”

“Lucas is planning various activities on his own,” the statement continues. “We ask for your unchanged support and attention for him.”

Lucas debuted in 2018 as a member of boy band NCT and joined its Chinese subunit WayV in 2019. He was set to release music with his bandmate Hendery as the subunit WayV-Lucas&Hendery in 2021, but the plan was canceled due to a scandal regarding Lucas’s personal life.

The scandal, which surfaced in August 2021, saw the singer accused of emotionally abusing and cheating on multiple women. Lucas admitted to the allegations and has been on hiatus ever since.

Although not mentioned in the statement, Lucas was also part of SM’s male supergroup SuperM, which debuted in 2019. SuperM has not released music since September 2020.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]