Mark Lee Posts Handwritten Letters To Fans After Departure From SM And NCT

After the shocking news of Mark Lee’s departure from not only NCT but SM, the idol has taken to Instagram to share his first statement with fans.

On April 3, SM announced the conclusion of Mark’s contract and his activities with various NCT units. They said, “MARK will conclude all activities as a member of NCT, including NCT 127 and NCT DREAM.”

In tangent with the shocking announcement, Mark took to Instagram to share two handwritten letters, one in English and one in Korean. In English, what stood out to many fans were a couple of things, he starts off the letter with, “Out of all the things my heart wants to say right now, I truly wish to say thank you.” He then tells fans he’s not doing this for fun, “I hope you believe me when I say that I’m not doing this just for fun…”

This has many fans wondering what went on behind the scenes that led to this shocking sudden announcement.

Below is the English handwritten letter!

Out of all the things my heart wants to say right now, I truly wish to say thank you. Thank you for loving, supporting, and shaping me to become who I am today. I truly believe that our hearts have better sight than our eyes, and what my heart sees right now isn’t a closing door but rather an opening new one.
I hope our next chapter together could be where we are all healthily smiling about the past, welcoming the present, and being excited for what’s to come. It’s a quest that I myself am scared about, but I know that it’s not if the worst. If I had ever done something right to have gained your trust over the last decade, I hope you believe me when I say that I’m not doing this just for fun…
I will never forget the pieces of love and truth each and every Czennie gave me… I’m not playing here, and I am for sure not playing with your guys’ hearts… You guys make me want to be a better person, and I hope my decisions in life can only become a positive impact to anyone watching.
I’m truly and always thinking about you guys… and I’ll really be working very very hard to make it all make sense.
Love you all so much…
See you.

Below is a translation of his handwritten Korean letter!

On April 9, 2016, I debuted in NCT U, and now that it has become April 2026, before I knew it, a full 10 years have really passed… During those 10 years, there were truly so many things that happened, so many stages performed, and above all, I think there were really so many memories. I know well that there are Czennies who liked me since the Rookies days, so if you include that time, it has actually been more than 10 years. How were the past 10-something years for Czennie..? For me, I think I was truly, truly only happy. Now that 10 years have passed, to the Czennies who made me happy every single day without exception for such a long time, I want to personally write and deliver about my new decision and my new chapter.

I know this will feel very sudden to everyone.. But actually, since my trainee days, or maybe even before that, there was always a dream I carried in my heart. Carrying one acoustic guitar, going around busking on the streets, and I liked writing in English so much that I even wanted to become a writer. I was too young to clearly and perfectly know and draw out that dream in my head, but with a love for music and the stage, I auditioned in Canada 14 years ago, and at SM, I began my musical path for the first time through NCT.
Because my beginning was at SM and with NCT, I was able to learn more about myself and find myself at my best. I feel nothing but gratitude. Through NCT, I feel like I was able to experience the sky, the land, the sea, and the mountains all at their best. While seeing and experiencing the world to the fullest for 10 years, and spending the best journey, I think I naturally came to think about what the greatest dream I could dream would be, and what the greatest thing I could do and purpose I could have while living as a person named Mark. As it is the time to finish the 10-year contract, I awakened all the senses that were in my heart and thought about it for a long time, and eventually, I became curious about what the exact completed form of that dream would be and wanted to properly immerse myself and dive into it. What my music or fruit will be, and how I can bear that into the world… I think I came to really want to find that properly and achieve it.

After talking a lot with each and every member, to the point where just thinking about it makes me tear up, in the end, truly every single member without exception told me they would support me. I feel sorry for life and, above all, very thankful. I want to once again say thank you so, so much to the older members who see me as a cute younger brother and to the younger members who see me as a leader. For this decision, I am so thankful and I love all the members who listened closely to my concerns, listened to my heart, thought about me, gave me opinions, and shared only great conversations with me. After having the best voyage for the past 10-something years with the members who were on the same boat, as someone who always liked going into the water, now that I say I want to swim, they are members who support my deep diving even to the level of love. I will also definitely continue to support and love them going forward.

In 2012, after being selected through a global audition, from the training team to all the teachers, company staff, managers, directors, the CEO, and all department employees, I am grateful for life for raising me until now. My beginning was SM, NCT, and Czennie. No matter what kind of music I newly start and create in the future, I will definitely become a Mark who never forgets my beginning.

But… no matter how big of a decision I made, I truly recognize that everyone’s worries, concerns, and hardships cannot be resolved just by the meaning of me taking on a big challenge alone. By announcing that I made a big decision in my life for a new chapter, I know that for Czennies, Mark fans, and the general public who have loved me as NCT’s Mark until now, this change can be a big shock and hurt, and I know that this single handwritten letter cannot ease that. Because of that, my heart feels very, very heavy. I think I thought for a really long time about what the most mature choice and method would be. I am very sorry that the result of those thoughts being this current situation seems very lacking, and my heart feels very heavy.

To Czennie, whom I am most thankful for, I thought that the best thing I can do in this situation is to convey my true sincerity.. And when I looked at my heart, at the end of that sincerity, more than anything else, I had the desire to express my gratitude. To all Czennies and to everyone who has known me and supported me until now, I want to say thank you the most. Thank you so, so much. For letting me live as the happiest person for 10 years. For allowing me to have a bigger dream of being a singer, which had been quietly inside my heart alone, and for helping me actually achieve that dream. Because you sent me so much precious and valuable love and support, because of that love and those memories, you made me become the Mark I am today.. Thank you so much. Thank you for letting me live as a grateful person.
I will live my life forever holding gratitude toward SM, the NCT members, and Czennie.
Going forward, when I greet you with a new image, I will do my absolute best and work hard so that I can become a good version of Mark. Once again, thank you very much.