The Dream and Reality of Infinite Expansion for Members...The Evolution and Limits of the NCT System

On January 27, 2016, Lee Soo-man, the chief producer at SM Entertainment, personally appeared at the “SMTOWN: New Culture Technology 2016” presentation to announce a bold concept. This concept was known as “NCT” (Neo Culture Technology), which represented the integration and expansion of cultural technology accumulated over approximately 20 years. The vision of this chief producer was enormous. He planned to create groups suited to cities around the world, including Seoul—the birthplace of K-pop—so as to enable infinite expansion.

As Lee Soo-man said at the time, “I also believe countless teams with no end in sight will emerge under the NCT brand,” making NCT a completely new type of group system centered on openness and scalability. The plan was for the first team to debut in the first half of the year, focusing on Seoul and Tokyo, followed by the release of groups for the Chinese market in Beijing and Shanghai in the second half of the year. Groups were also intended to be formed in other continents such as Latin America. Additionally, teams formed through survival programs were part of the plan.

In April 2016, NCT U debuted first with “The 7th Sense.” NCT U is a unit whose member count and composition change depending on the song, embodying the most core feature of NCT. In July of the same year, the Seoul-based team NCT 127 debuted, followed by the youth-focused team NCT DREAM in August. In January 2019, the locally adapted group WayV for the Chinese market was introduced. With the announcement in 2023 that infinite expansion would end, NCT WISH debuted as the final team in February 2024. As of now, NCT consists of a total of 25 members.

However, not everything proceeded as planned. The most significant change was the abolition of the graduation system for NCT DREAM. Originally designed so that members would leave the group at the age of 20 to join new teams, SM Entertainment abolished this system in April 2020 and brought back Mark, one of the original members, to establish the current fixed 7-member team. As a result, Mark and Haechan continued to be active in both NCT 127 and NCT DREAM simultaneously. Meanwhile, Shotaro and Sungchan were active for nearly three years without a fixed team before leaving NCT in September 2023 and making a comeback under RIIZE.

The halt to the infinite expansion system coincided with changes in the company’s management. Lee Soo-man sold his 14.8% stake, which made him a major shareholder, to HYBE. In contrast, SM Entertainment’s management, which had been pursuing cooperation with Kakao, announced that infinite expansion would officially end after NCT TOKYO (now NCT WISH). This policy was finally realized when Kakao became SM Entertainment’s major shareholder. SM Entertainment stated, “There will be no further changes to the member lineup,” and added, “We will provide maximum support for each team so that the existing members can carry out far more diverse activities than before.”

From an operational perspective, the biggest issues cited were “uncertainty” and “instability.” Music critic Jung Min-jae commented, “While operating the NCT brand using infinite openness and scalability was theoretically ideal, it was impossible in reality. Although it was a creative plan, the significance of the NCT experiment lies in proving that it was difficult to actually implement it in the K-pop industry.” He also repeatedly mentioned challenges such as high barriers to entry for the NCT system, which encompasses multiple teams and units, uneven activity scopes among different teams, and resulting disparities in member exposure.

Nevertheless, experts highly praised the innovative significance of NCT. Music critic Hwang Sun-up said, “The biggest feature of NCT is that it is a ‘system’ rather than a ‘group.’ By advocating a concept that allows for infinite expansion and openness instead of a fixed membership, and by designing different target markets and musical styles for each unit, it represents an ambitious attempt that combines SM Entertainment’s accumulated expertise.” Music critic Choi Seung-in described NCT as a “framework or vessel capable of accommodating various styles,” analyzing it as the result of the cumulative outcome of SM Entertainment’s planning efforts from H.O.T. to Super Junior and EXO.

Chau Jin, director of the Entertainment Culture Research Institute, defined the core of NCT as an “expandable idol architecture.” He analyzed that “the fact that the number of members and unit compositions are not fixed means that SM Entertainment intended to design idol groups as a platform rather than a product.” He also noted that incorporating localization through regional units and recombining members per song, as seen in NCT U, expanded opportunities for musical experimentation.

Interestingly, fans’ desires went against the company’s plans. Music critic Randy Seo explained, “There was strong demand from fans who wanted ‘7Dream,’ and because it was not a fluid system, it instead became a representative successful model of NCT that is loved by many. It was a conflict between the company’s desire for more efficient production and fans’ wish to cherish their members and maintain their relationships.” Music critic Kim Do-heon also pointed out, “K-pop fandoms resonated more with the narrative of NCT DREAM, where close friendships were built through flexible operations rather than infinite openness and expansion,” adding, “This highlighted the appeal of K-pop idols that grow together with their fandoms, contrary to the direction pursued by planners who focused on systematization.”

Although NCT is now evaluated as having officially stopped infinite expansion and thus failing to sustain its original vitality, it remains recognized as an unprecedented innovative attempt in K-pop history. Though Lee Soo-man’s ambitious vision changed shape due to practical constraints and market demands, NCT, as a platform that embodies SM Entertainment’s 20 years of planning expertise, is likely to remain a case study that redefined the idol system itself within the K-pop industry.