[Dispatch=Reporter Lee Ajin] Five comebacks in a year. A grueling schedule that cannot be found in other K-pop groups. Yet Mark and Haechan had to face this reality twice, in 2021 and 2023. Over two-month intervals, they navigated between 127, Dream, and group activities, absorbing new songs.

Infinite recruitment, infinite units, infinite variations. Lee Soo-man's plan seemed plausible. Dreaming of infinite expansion through the neo-cultural technology channel called NCT. The problem was the sentiment of K-pop fandom. They wanted to build chemistry rather than churn out albums.

Ultimately, SM closed the door to expansion. It chose stability and pursued maintenance. However, in the group's tenth year, system risks emerged. With different debut timings came different contract renewal periods. Mark departed the team, and Ten moved to another agency.

Will NCT scatter from here.

There is no dissolution without expansion. The strength that rose above this unfamiliar system was, in the end, the members themselves. 'Dispatch' looked back on NCT's ten-year narrative. Together with three cultural critics (Lim Jin-mo, Kim Do-hun, Park Hee-ah), we also predicted their future.

◆ The Dilemma of Infinite Expansion

In January 2016, Lee Soo-man personally revealed the blueprint for Neo Culture Technology. The keyword was infinite expansion. He declared he would remove limits on member numbers and infinitely birth localized teams based on regions worldwide.

It was a dream of complete globalization of K-pop. While releasing a single song in each country's language, he wanted to prepare music content targeting local markets. He also harbored ambitions to continuously showcase performances through diverse unit combinations.

As a result, various units including 127 (Seoul), Dream (youth), WayV (China), and Wish (Japan) emerged under the name NCT. Members who carried multiple teams also appeared. Chinese member Winwin even transferred from 127 to WayV, citing localization as justification.

Reality diverged from expectations. Frequent member changes and transfers sparked fandom backlash. Unlike existing fandoms that supported the entire group based on member relationships, NCT fandom became thoroughly individualized. Group synergy could not be achieved.

The side effects of overlapping units were also painful. Members like Mark and Haechan, who moved between multiple units, suffered from schedule overload. Fandoms also focused exclusively on specific units. This led to exclusionary atmospheres between units, fueling internal fandom conflict.

The initial premise of operating based on different cities also gradually lost direction. Debuts of local teams did not proceed smoothly. Ultimately, NCT 127, the Seoul-based team, had to handle both the Japanese and American markets, creating system contradictions.

Critic Lim Jin-mo said, "The attempt itself deserves high praise," but added, "Details were lacking. Marketing focus inevitably declined because of the unit system. Ultimately, it was a half-realized success that failed to fully execute the plan."

◆ Limitations Became Narrative

Despite system limitations, NCT has established itself as a representative idol of contemporary K-pop. The secret lies in three major factors: members' outstanding abilities, paradoxically the system that became a powerful narrative, and established musical identity.

Critic Kim Do-hun also noted, "Rather, the members' capabilities were obscured by an unstable system," and pointed out, "Whenever they encountered systemic limitations, it was ultimately the members who created new momentum."

The unstable system led to fandom solidarity. For example, NCT Dream was a youth alliance team with a graduation system. Fans were captivated by the narrative of members who spent their school years together. Simultaneously, in resistance to the graduation system, they led to its abolishment in 2020.

With overwhelming firepower, fandoms proved the value of "7 Dream." A notable example is the anecdote of selling 20,000 copies while pushing through rain about three hours before the initial sales deadline of the first regular album "Flavors" (2021). Fan dedication transcended SM's first million-seller, leaving a record of nine consecutive million-sellers based on the mini-album sixth installment "Bite It Up."

The unstable system gradually stabilized. From 2019's "WayV" as a turning point, units began expressing their own colors. 127 had hip-hop, Dream had freshness, WayV had sensuality. They diversely filled the spectrum of the NCT brand.

Group projects like NCT 2018, 2020, 2021 showed the pinnacle of the system. By diversely combining units of different colors through NCT U, they exploded with fresh musical synergy unseen in existing teams.

The energy of infinite expansion extended to the group concert 'NCT Nation.' In addition to NCT U stages, performances like "Black on Black"—multi-member performances unique to NCT—were showcased. With only five performances across large stadiums in Korea and Japan, they attracted approximately 220,000 spectators.

◆ A New Face of Neo

NCT Wish (debuted 2024) placed a period on infinite expansion. Composed of four Japanese and two Korean members, they signaled Japan-based activities. With this unit, the infinite expansion system came to a complete close. They decided to stop recruiting members.

The initial dream of infinite expansion remained incomplete. Yet finally, the team NCT began to become visible. The units within also regained stability. Paradoxically, through stopping, they proved the contradictions of expansion.

NCT Wish was a unit in which the entry barrier of member changes completely disappeared. As a result, new audiences flowed in, and existing fandoms concentrated their firepower. They grew faster than any other unit within NCT.

With the mini album second installment "Pop Pop" last year, they entered the million-seller ranks about two years after debut. They also entered KSPO Dome last month. Attracting approximately 33,000 spectators over three days from the 17th to 19th, they proved themselves as representative fifth-generation boy group contenders.

Critic Park Hee-ah cited harmlessness as the core element of their popularity. "It is not easy to feel that women are harmless to men," she explained, adding, "The image of NCT Wish, where toughness is completely removed, approaches the public comfortably."

They are proving NCT's identity in their own way. In particular, the mini-album third installment "Color" became an inflection point. Overlaying neo across the album's entirety. While further elevating their existing pure and refreshing appeal, they are showcasing a distinctive musical color.

Critic Kim Do-hun evaluated, "Despite being a Japan-based team, they captivated Korean fandoms," adding, "They prove that popular success itself is the clearest strategy. Without complicated concerns, they can simply push forward at their current pace."

◆ Unfinished Business

This year, NCT stepped onto the experimental stage of its tenth year. It is due to contract issues. Within the system NCT has built, simultaneous or universal contract renewals as typical idol groups undergo are difficult to expect.

The recent end of Mark and Ten's contracts clearly demonstrated this. Fans had to experience system limitations once again. Particularly in Mark's case, he left the team entirely. SM was assigned the task once more of consoling wavering fandoms.

However, what must not be overlooked is that NCT is a team that breaks through variables. Take NCT Dream alone. When Mark graduated, they reached a career high with the mini-album third installment "We Boom."

Moreover, members like Doyoung, Taeyong, Jaehyun, and Haechan are proving their individual capabilities through successful solo activities. New unit activities like JNJM (Jeno and Jaemin) are also continuing. This means the NCT brand possesses sufficient self-sustaining power.

Critic Kim Do-hun added weight to positive outlooks. "Fundamentally, NCT is a group predicated on joining and departing. I believe there is little possibility of group dissolution," and predicted, "The current changes themselves will become a new narrative of K-pop."

Critic Park Hee-ah also said, "NCT is a team with accumulated experience in flexible response. It is too early to worry about the team's future," diagnosing, "Under SM's producing capabilities, the group remains sufficiently appealing simply by preserving existing unit identities."

NCT is launching the tenth anniversary project 'NCT 2026.' It is the first checkpoint to console wavering fandoms and re-prove the value of the NCT system. Through NCT U, the time has come for NCT to prove itself once more.

<Photo source=SM Entertainment>