The K-Pop Guidebook to NCT's Concept

Why should we all stan NCT? Many people get intimidated by the fact that they now have twenty-one members overall, divided into different subgroups. However, if you enjoy their music, you shouldn't let that stop you from stanning an amazing group. There's been a lot of confusion over NCT's concept, so here's a simple breakdown to get you one step closer to knowing all that you can.

The members of NCT have explained their concept many times on different variety shows, and even the hosts get confused. For instance, it took former Weekly Idol hosts Doni and Coni approximately 15 to 20 minutes to barely understand the concept on the show, and at the time, NCT only had eighteen members.

NCT stands for "Neo Culture Technology," which simply is a term to show that this group is built on the concept of having an unlimited number of members organized into rotating subunits. Each subunit has its own identity, but they all belong to the same NCT universe.

NCT U

NCT U is the original subunit, designed to feature different combinations of members for each song. There is no fixed lineup, which lets SM Entertainment match members to the concept of each release. NCT U debuted in April 2016 with two songs: "The 7th Sense" and "Without You."

NCT 127

NCT 127 represents the Seoul-based subunit, with the number 127 referring to the longitude of Seoul. The team currently has ten members: Taeil, Johnny, Taeyong, Doyoung, Yuta, Jaehyun, Winwin, Jungwoo, Mark, and Haechan. NCT 127 has built one of the strongest international fanbases of any K-pop boy group.

NCT Dream

NCT Dream debuted August 24, 2016 as "a team where teenagers unite." Initially the subunit followed an age-based graduation rule, but SM later removed it. The lineup includes Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Chenle, Jisung, Jaemin, and Mark, who rejoined after originally graduating at the end of 2018.

NCT 2018 and Beyond

NCT 2018 was a project that included all eighteen members of NCT, with each subunit (NCT U, NCT 127, and NCT Dream) represented through musical contributions. The project resulted in the release of NCT's debut album, Empathy. NCT later expanded the format with NCT 2020 for the Resonance albums, bringing all subunits together for special releases.

WayV (NCT China)

WayV is NCT's subunit based in China. The group has seven members: Kun, Ten, Winwin, Lucas, Xiaojun, Hendery, Yangyang. They debuted January 17, 2019 with the Chinese version of NCT 127's "Regular." WayV is managed by Label V, a subsidiary of SM Entertainment based in Shanghai.

Overall, NCT is the umbrella for all of its subunits, and all of the subunits are considered NCT. We hope this breakdown was helpful and simple to understand as you move toward learning more about each and every member of this talented group. Let us know your favorite NCT song in the comments.

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