# What are NCT's units and how do they differ? NCT 127, DREAM, WayV, WISH, DOJAEJUNG and JNJM at a glance — and where things stand in 2026

> Source: https://hallyu.wiki/en/guides/nct-units-explained/
> Publisher: Hallyu Wiki (explainer, original writing with cited sources)
> Published: 2026-10-20 · Last updated: 2026-10-21
> Cite as: "What are NCT's units and how do they differ? NCT 127, DREAM, WayV, WISH, DOJAEJUNG and JNJM at a glance — and where things stand in 2026", Hallyu Wiki, https://hallyu.wiki/en/guides/nct-units-explained/

A table-first guide to the unit system of NCT, short for "Neo Culture Technology": each unit's debut date and members, the departures of Mark (April 2026) and Winwin (July 2026), the discharges of Taeyong and Jaehyun and the service of Doyoung and Jungwoo, NCT 127's full contract renewal and seventh album, NCT WISH's four straight million-sellers, and the WayV and NCT DREAM comebacks — based on press reports.

NCT is a boy group launched by SM Entertainment on April 9, 2016. The name is short for "Neo Culture Technology," and its members rotate across several units. As of October 2026 there are four fixed units — the Seoul-based NCT 127 (7 members), NCT DREAM (6), the Chinese-language unit WayV (5) and NCT WISH (6), which works in Korea and Japan — plus the ever-changing NCT U, the trio NCT DOJAEJUNG (Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo) and the duo NCT JNJM (Jeno, Jaemin).

Mark left NCT when his SM contract ended on April 8, 2026, and Winwin on July 9. All seven NCT 127 members renewed with SM in July and released the seventh album BLINGY on August 24; NCT DREAM releases its first album as six members on November 9. Common questions are answered below, with a source number on every claim.

| Unit | Debut | Members (as of October 2026) and character |
|---|---|---|
| NCT U | 2016-04-09 | A unit whose line-up changes with each song; NCT as a whole debuted under this name. [1,3,22] |
| NCT 127 | 2016-07 | Seven members: Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo and Haechan. All renewed with SM in July 2026; seventh album BLINGY on August 24. [3,12,15] |
| NCT DREAM | 2016-08 | Six members: Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle and Jisung. Sixth album DREAM AFTER DREAM on November 9. [3,18,19] |
| WayV | 2019-01 | Five members: Kun, Ten, Xiaojun, Hendery and Yangyang. The Chinese-language unit; eighth EP Vision Wings on August 10. [2,11,13] |
| NCT DOJAEJUNG | 2023-04-17 | Trio of Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo; first EP Perfume. [4] |
| NCT WISH | 2024-02-21 | Six members — Sion and Jaehee (Korea), Riku, Yushi, Ryo and Sakuya (Japan). Produced by BoA; Ode to Love and I SPY in 2026 made four straight million-sellers. [5,9,17] |
| NCT JNJM | 2026-02-23 | Duo of Jeno and Jaemin; 13-show fan-meeting tour DUALITY across six Asian regions, June–August 2026. [2,14] |

## What is NCT, and why are there so many units?

NCT is the boy group SM Entertainment debuted on April 9, 2016. Korea JoongAng Daily explains that the name is an acronym for "Neo Culture Technology" and that more than 20 members work under a rotating-unit system. For its 10th anniversary in 2026 the group launched a year-long project, "NCT 2026," under the slogan "Everything, All at Once, Neo," which SM said was meant to distill the decade-long story, redefine the present and move on to the next chapter. [1,2]

## Which units exist, and how do they differ?

The units fall into two kinds. NCT U is the rotating unit whose line-up changes from song to song; NCT's debut in April 2016 came under that name. There are four fixed units. NCT 127 debuted in July 2016 and NCT DREAM in August of the same year. WayV, launched in January 2019, is the Chinese-language unit — its August 2026 lead track came in Chinese and English versions and the release-day report announced a listening party in Guangzhou. NCT WISH, made up of two Korean and four Japanese members chosen through the ENA audition NCT Universe: LASTART and produced by BoA, debuted at SMTOWN LIVE 2024 at Tokyo Dome on February 21, 2024, and works in both Korea and Japan from a Japanese base; Newsis called it the last unit of NCT's "unlimited expansion." Beyond these are NCT DOJAEJUNG, the trio of Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo that debuted with the EP Perfume on April 17, 2023, and NCT JNJM, the duo of Jeno and Jaemin that toured fan meetings in 2026. Haechan belongs to both NCT 127 and NCT DREAM. [3,4,5,11,13,14,22]

## How many members are there in all?

After Mark's departure in April 2026, CBS Nocut News listed NCT as a 24-member group: Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, Jisung, Kun, Ten, Winwin, Xiaojun, Hendery, Yangyang, Sion, Riku, Yushi, Jaehee, Ryo and Sakuya. With Winwin's contract ending on July 9, the group has 23 members as of October 2026: seven in NCT 127, six in NCT DREAM (Haechan counted in both), five in WayV and six in NCT WISH. [2,3,11]

## Who has left? Mark, Winwin and those before them

On April 3, 2026 SM said that after "long and deep discussion" with Mark it had agreed to end his exclusive contract as of April 8, and Mark withdrew from all NCT activities, including NCT 127 and NCT DREAM. He had debuted in NCT U in April 2016 and joined NCT 127 that July and NCT DREAM that August. In June he founded a creative company, Upper Room, in Mapo-gu, Seoul, becoming both its artist and co-CEO. Winwin's SM contract ended as of July 9, 2026, closing all his NCT activities; an original NCT 127 member from July 2016 who joined WayV in January 2019, he had scaled back group work in recent years to focus on solo activities in China. Before them, Lucas formalized his departure in May 2023, Shotaro and Sungchan left in 2023, and Taeil left in August 2024. Ten's contract term ended in April 2026, but he arranged to continue with NCT and WayV. [2,3,10,11,12]

## Who is in the military, and when are they discharged?

NCT 127 leader Taeyong enlisted in the Navy on April 15, 2024 and completed his service on December 14, 2025 — the group's first member to enlist and the first to be discharged. Jaehyun enlisted in the Army band in November 2024 and was discharged on May 3, 2026, with Jungwoo attending his discharge. Doyoung (active-duty Army) and Jungwoo (Army band) enlisted together on December 8, 2025 and are due for discharge on June 7, 2027. NCT 127's seventh album, BLINGY, came out in August 2026 while the two were serving, but all seven members, Doyoung and Jungwoo included, sing on the track "127 Million Miles." [6,7,8,15]

## What has each unit done in 2026?

The "NCT 2026" road map SM released in April promised an NCT 127 album and tour in the third quarter, an NCT DREAM fan meeting in the third quarter and album in the fourth, a WayV album and tour in the third quarter, NCT WISH's first full album on April 20 followed by a Japanese single in the third quarter and an album in the fourth, a 10th-anniversary pop-up store on May 15–23 and an exhibition in the third quarter. NCT WISH duly released Ode to Love on April 20, selling 1,825,925 copies in its first week, with the lead track reaching No. 3 on Melon's TOP100 and No. 1 on its HOT100; its fourth EP, I SPY, sold 1,200,086 copies on its first day, October 12, making it a fourth straight million-seller after poppop, COLOR and Ode to Love. NCT JNJM toured 13 fan-meeting shows, DUALITY, across Seoul, Tokyo, Jakarta, Macau, Kaohsiung and Bangkok from June, drawing 27,000 people to three shows at Bangkok's Impact Arena on August 7–9. WayV released its eighth EP, Vision Wings (seven tracks, lead "鸢 (Vision Wings)"), on August 10. The release-day report announced concerts at Seoul's KBS Arena for September 12–13. NCT 127 released BLINGY, its first full album in two years with nine tracks, on August 24. A July 15 report announced that its fifth tour would begin in Seoul in September. NCT DREAM previewed the album track "The Sun" with a music video on October 20 ahead of its sixth album, DREAM AFTER DREAM — ten tracks led by "Boogie Woogie" — on November 9, the group's first album as six members since Mark left. [1,2,9,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19]

## What does NCT 127's full renewal mean?

According to reports on July 15, 2026, all seven NCT 127 members — Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo and Haechan — signed renewed contracts with SM Entertainment. Sports Kyunghyang described the decision, coming after the departures of Mark (April 8) and Winwin (July 9), as the moment "the departure domino stopped." At the press conference for BLINGY, the first album after the renewal, Taeyong said of Mark that "our paths differ, so we respect and support him." [12,15]

## Why is NCT WISH called the "last unit"?

Reporting NCT WISH's Tokyo Dome debut on February 21, 2024, Newsis headlined it as the end of NCT's "unlimited expansion" — the last unit in a project to which SM had kept adding members. The name comes from "WISH for Our WISH" and carries the meaning of supporting everyone's wishes and dreams. The debut song, also titled "WISH," is a medium-tempo dance track built on old-school hip-hop; it was released digitally on February 28 and physically on March 4. [5]

## How to read this page

The total of 23 members is calculated by subtracting Winwin, whose NCT activities ended on July 9, from the 24-member list published by CBS Nocut News in April 2026. Haechan belongs to both NCT 127 and NCT DREAM but is counted once in the overall total. Sales and chart figures should be read with the reporting dates of their sources. [2,3,9,11,17]

## When did NCT JNJM make its recording debut?

Jeno and Jaemin debuted as NCT JNJM on February 23, 2026, with the EP BOTH SIDES. Its six tracks are the title song, “I.D.O.L.,” “What It Is,” “HASHTAG,” “WIND UP” and “sexier”; the title track is a hip-hop dance song. Their DUALITY fan-meeting tour from June to August followed this recording debut. [14]

## Does NCT DREAM still have a graduation system?

NCT DREAM began as a teenage unit in 2016, but its system of members graduating upon reaching adulthood was abolished in April 2020. Mark returned, and the first full-length album, Hot Sauce, released on May 10, 2021, brought all seven members together after his return. His departure in 2026 was announced as the end of his SM contract and all NCT activities. [21,3]

## What do 127, U and the nickname “시즈니” mean?

The number in NCT 127 refers to the longitude of Seoul, the team's base. The U in NCT U stands for “UNITED”; on a 2018 television appearance, the members explained that its line-up changes with each song. NCT's official fandom name is NCTzen, also known by the Korean nickname “시즈니.” [2,22]

## Sources

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