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Mark Lee’s departure from SM and NCT
Mark Lee of NCT has just revealed in a personal letter posted to his Instagram that he is parting ways with the group and SM Entertainment as his contract comes to an end after a decade with the agency.
In the handwritten letter, he wrote:
“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.”
Lee went on to say that he is both excited and nervous about his new chapter, asking NCT-zens (NCT’s fandom name) to believe in his quest.
The ‘pro-debuter’
Lee is a 26-year-old Canadian rapper-singer-songwriter who debuted with NCT U (a sub-unit of the mega group, which has rotating members) at just 17 years old.
Jokingly named the ultimate “pro-debuter”, he has been a consistent, fixed member of three subunits – NCT U, NCT 127 and NCT Dream, in which he was also a leader.
In 2019, he was also part of SM’s male supergroup SuperM, comprising Lee, Baekhyun of Exo, Ten of NCT/Way V, Lucas of NCT/Way V, Taemin of SHinee, Taeyong of NCT and Kai of Exo.
The group was active for three years, after debuting with Jopping, before its 2023 comeback fell through.
Just last year, in April, Lee debuted his solo album The Firstfruit, with the title track 1999 (his birth year).
Billboard named the album the best K-pop album of 2025, and it also reached number one on the iTunes Top Albums charts in 14 regions.
Shadow of ‘slave’ contract
Dubbed the ace of SM Entertainment, Lee’s exit serves as a tipping point for an agency long dogged by accusations of artiste mistreatment and its “slave” contracts.
In 2023, Exo’s Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin sued SM for unfair contracts and opaque settlements, which ended in a tense compromise, but it has reignited the public’s scrutiny of its lack of transparency and controversial contract length.
While the trio remained members of Exo for group activities, the fallout was palpable as they were absent from recent performances and fan meeting in December 2025, which was collateral to the legal dispute.
Additionally, Lee was also widely claimed to be overworked by fans as the artiste was seen juggling demanding schedules across NCT’s multiple units.
However, the exclusion of the Exo trio and the alleged overworking of Lee are not isolated incidents, but an evolution of the “blueprint” of SM’s artiste mistreatment established during the abrupt exit of Jessica Jung from Girls’ Generation, 12 years ago.
In 2014, Jung revealed via Weibo that she had been “forced out” of the group after being issued an ultimatum: abandon her fashion label or leave the band.
Despite having prior approval for her venture, she was then ousted and “blacklisted” from the industry. This move highlights the agency’s tainted history of exerting total control over its artistes’ ambitions beyond the interest of SM.
In the shadow of that history, Lee’s exit is a bittersweet milestone for him, the fans and the industry. The move has revived the discourse of artistes’ autonomy within the K-pop industry.
Therefore, as he embarks on his quest, the talented artiste trades the relentless schedules for long-overdue creative freedom to redefine his legacy on his own terms.
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