NCT's WinWin Parts Ways with SM Entertainment After 10 Years

SM Entertainment confirmed on July 8 that WinWin's exclusive contract will conclude on July 9, 2026, making him the second NCT member to leave the group in under three months, following Mark's departure in April.

In an official statement, SM said the two parties reached the decision "after sufficient discussion" and added: "We are grateful to WinWin, who has been with us for over 10 years since his trainee days, and we will support his future as he begins a new journey."

For fans who have been watching closely, the news likely lands as confirmation of something that had been taking shape for years. WinWin debuted with NCT in 2016 and was part of the Seoul-based sub-unit NCT 127 before quietly stepping back from its activities. In January 2019 he pivoted to WayV, SM's Mandopop-focused unit targeting Chinese-speaking markets, and that became his primary home within the NCT universe.

But even WayV activities grew sparse. When the unit expanded its presence in South Korea starting in 2024, WinWin was absent from albums and official schedules with increasing regularity. The pattern had become hard to ignore.

The clearest signal of a separate path came in 2021, when WinWin established his own management company in China, specifically to handle acting work there. Since then he has built a meaningful drama filmography on the mainland, appearing in 25 Hours of Love, Oh Fortune at My Door, and Bright and Beautiful, carving out an identity as an actor rather than an idol.

His situation within SM differs from that of Ten, who also left SM to found his own agency but has confirmed he will continue participating in NCT group activities and WayV going forward. For WinWin, the contract end also means a full close on NCT activities, no partial arrangement.

NCT's membership has been in flux for some time, and WinWin's exit is likely to renew conversations among fans about the broader future of the group's sprawling structure. What's clear is that for WinWin personally, the chapter that started in an SM practice room more than a decade ago has officially closed.