Mark announces his departure from NCT after 10 years, expressing gratitude and sharing his dreams for the future in a heartfelt letter.

Mark announced his departure from NCT and published a handwritten letter. Today (the 3rd), Mark posted a long handwritten letter on his SNS, conveying his feelings about leaving SM Entertainment and NCT in his own words. He reflected on the past ten years since debuting as NCT U on April 9, 2016, saying, "It has been ten years before I knew it. During these ten years, there have been many events, and I have stood on many stages, and above all, I have been able to create many irreplaceable memories." He continued, "For you, it may feel too sudden. Actually, I have had a dream in my heart since my trainee days, or even before that. I wanted to travel while performing street shows with just an acoustic guitar, and I loved writing in English so much that I wanted to become a writer. Although I was still too young to fully understand and envision all of those dreams in my head, I still had a love for music and the stage, and 14 years ago, I auditioned in Canada, joined SM Entertainment, and began my musical journey as NCT." He added, "Because my first start was at SM Entertainment and NCT, I was able to know myself more deeply and find the most authentic version of myself. I am truly filled with gratitude. Through NCT, I feel like I have experienced everything—the sky, the earth, the sea, and the mountains—in the best way possible. Over the past ten years, while walking the world thinking it was 'the best,' I naturally began to think about what my greatest dreams are and what kind of work and purpose I should have as a person named Mark." He revealed, "As I reached the milestone of a ten-year contract, various thoughts and feelings deep within my heart were awakened again, and after a long time of worrying, I wanted to properly look at what my dreams are and face them seriously and dive in. I want to find out what the fruits of my music and myself are, and how I can deliver that to the world. I want to find that firmly and make it a reality." Mark shared, "While talking a lot with each member, they all told me that they support me to the point where I could cry just thinking about it. I will never be able to erase my feelings of guilt, but I am filled with gratitude above all. I want to sincerely express my gratitude to the members who see me as a cute younger brother and to the juniors who see me as a leader. I am truly grateful to all the members who listened to my worries closely, empathized with my feelings, thought about me, gave me opinions, and had wonderful conversations with me. I love them from the bottom of my heart. I have had the best voyage with the members who have been on the same ship for over ten years. When I, who always liked to be in the water, said I wanted to swim this time, they supported even that deep diving with love. I will continue to support and love them from now on." He said, "I want to always be Mark who does not forget my origin. Even if I make a big decision, I strongly recognize that my new challenge alone will not immediately resolve everyone's anxieties, worries, and suffering. I understand that my announcement of a big decision towards a new chapter in life could bring a significant shock or hurt to all the fans who have supported me as NCT's Mark, and I take that to heart. I have thought a lot about what the most mature choices and methods are for a long time. Although I have come to this decision after much deliberation, I still feel that there are many shortcomings, and I am truly sorry and my heart is very heavy. I believe that the best thing I can do for the fans I am most grateful for is to honestly convey what I am thinking. As I looked back at my feelings, I felt a strong desire to express my gratitude above all else. I want to sincerely convey my gratitude to all the fans and everyone who has known and supported me until now. Thank you very much. Thank you for allowing me to live as the happiest person in the world for ten years, for helping me to hold a bigger dream of being a singer that I had held small in my heart, and for making that dream come true. Thanks to the precious and important love and support you have sent me, and the love and memories, I have become the Mark I am today. I am truly grateful. It is thanks to all of you that I have been able to live as a grateful person. Thank you very much. I intend to live with a heart full of gratitude towards SM Entertainment, the NCT members, and the fans for the rest of my life. In the future, when I can greet you all in a new form, I will do my best to show you a better version of myself. Once again, thank you very much.