NCT Dream members will not graduate when they turn 20 years old this year as SM Entertainment implements a new system.
According to SM Entertainment, NCT Dream's comeback with its original seven members - Mark Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung, will be released on April 29 with the album Reload. The album will feature five songs, Soompi reported.
After the album release and promotions, there will be a change in the team system of NCT Dream but the current members will not be graduating.
"The current members will not graduate, and including original member Mark, the seven members will carry out activities in a format like NCT U with the team name NCT Dream," SM announced in its statement.
This is a new development in the previous format adopted by the label for NCT Dream wherein the group abided by a graduation system where they graduate from the group when they turn 20. The system was intended to keep the NCT Dream brand linked to the teenage fans. It can be recalled that the first member to graduate was Mark, who left the group in 2018.
Last year, fans have been appealing for SM to put an end to the graduation system, citing that this hurts the NCT Dream brand and the fanbase that has developed along with the original members.
"This is just wrong... Usually for normal idols, they get to promote several years and they can voluntarily retire on their own but they're just being thrown away like that? The kids aren't some joke either, and what will happen to the fans if you just throw away the singers like that? I don't know, I feel like everyone really likes NCT Dream? Isn't it the same as having a group you like stop being a group?' one fan lamented after NCT Dream's emotional The Dream Show in Seoul.
In particular, fans were worried about the future of NCT members like Renjun, Jaemin, Jisung, Chenle, and Jeno who are currently not active in other NCT groups, All Kpop reported
"NCT Dream's Renjun, Jeno, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung will join as members of new NCT teams that will be launched in the future based on the directions of their activities, and they will carry out global promotions," SM Entertainment assured under the reorganized system.
NCT Dream debuted as a group in 2016 with the single Chewing Gum. Their last song as a seven man group with Candle Light in 2018.
