BREAKING: WinWin Leaves Both NCT And SM Entertainment
Winwin, the Chinese member of NCT, will be leaving both the group and SM Entertainment after ending his exclusive contract with the agency.
On the 8th, SM Entertainment released an official statement:
“After extensive discussions with our artist Winwin, we have mutually agreed to conclude his exclusive contract as of July 9, 2026. Accordingly, Winwin will also conclude all activities as a member of NCT.”
The agency added:
“We sincerely thank Winwin for spending more than 10 years with us, beginning from his trainee days, and we wholeheartedly support him as he embarks on a new journey.”
Winwin becomes the second NCT member to leave the group following the termination of his contract with SM, after Mark in April. In contrast, Ten, who previously left SM and established his own agency, has continued participating in group activities with both NCT and WayV.
Winwin debuted as a member of NCT in 2016 and was active in sub-unit NCT 127. Following the group’s restructuring, he joined the China-based unit WayV in January 2019.
However, his absences from group schedules gradually became more frequent. Since 2024, when WayV began actively promoting in South Korea, Winwin has been absent from album production and all official group activities, effectively distancing himself from the team.
Many in the music industry believe that the end of his contract and departure from the group had been expected for some time. In 2021, Winwin established his own personal studio in China to manage his acting career independently. Since then, he has been building his career as an actor through Chinese dramas including “25-Hour Romance,” “Perfect Match,” and “Liang Chen Mei Jin.”
Source: Naver Entertainment
