NCT: K-pop Neo Culture Technology SM 2016 NCT 127 Dream

In contemporary K-pop, NCT (Neo Culture Technology) represents the most ambitious experimentation on the Korean music scene. Formed by SM Entertainment in January 2016 and introduced with the revolutionary concept of “infinity members”, the boy band now has more than 24 members divided into 7 sub-units: NCT U (rotational), NCT 127 (Seoul, longitude 127°), NCT Dream (young members), WayV (based in China), NCT DoJaeJung (ballad trio), NCT Wish (newborn 2024), and NCT JNJM (Jeno + Jaemin, 2026). Fandom NCTzen, lightstick Meumwonbong. Cited as “the most experimental K-pop boy band”, NCT has sold over 45 million albums cumulatively.

At Ma Petite Corée, we have included NCT in our experimental K-pop catalog, convinced by the unique innovation of the Neo Culture Technology concept with infinite sub-units, the richness of geographic lineups (Seoul, China, Tokyo), and the unparalleled musical diversity (neo hip-hop, ballads, pop, EDM) that distinguishes the SM Entertainment project. In this article, we analyze the brand’s DNA in depth. History, philosophy, key ingredients and concepts, flagship products, adapted routines: everything you need to know to understand why NCT fully deserves its place in your K-beauty routine.

NCT: SM Entertainment’s visionary K-pop project

NCT (Neo Culture Technology, 엔시티) is a visionary K-pop project by SM Entertainment, announced in January 2016 during a memorable presentation by founder Lee Soo-man at the SM Coex Artium, titled “SMTOWN: New Culture Technology 2016”. Lee announced an unprecedented project: a boy band with an unlimited number of members, organized into geographic sub-units dedicated to different cities and global cultures. This vision broke with the K-pop tradition of a fixed group with a limited number of members, opening a new era of experimentation and scalability. The sub-units frequently collaborate, pooling talents in a unique musical ecosystem.

The 7 sub-units of NCT are as follows: NCT U (April 2016, rotational, different member configurations depending on projects), NCT 127 (July 2016, Seoul sub-unit, the “127” referring to the longitude of Seoul, with Taeyong, Yuta, Jaehyun, Winwin, Mark, Haechan, Doyoung, Johnny, Jungwoo + Taeil until August 2024), NCT Dream (August 2016, young members initially with Mark + Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, Jisung), WayV (January 2019, based in China under Label V with Kun, Ten, Xiaojun, Hendery, Yangyang, Winwin), NCT DoJaeJung (2023, ballad trio with Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo), NCT Wish (February 2024, Tokyo-based sub-unit), NCT JNJM (February 2026, duo Jeno + Jaemin with EP Both Sides).

NCT is known as “the most experimental K-pop boy band” thanks to its musical versatility: neo hip-hop (Cherry Bomb, Kick It, Sticker), emotional ballads (Touch, Perfume), pop EDM (Regular, Boss), R&B (Baby Don't Stop). With over 45 million albums sold in Korea cumulatively (June 2024), NCT is the best-selling K-pop group of all time. NCT 127 set particular records: Sticker (2021) sold 3.58 million copies, a historic SM Entertainment record, Daesang at the 31st Seoul Music Awards, and debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. 2 Baddies (2022) sold 3.2 million. Some members are currently serving in the military (Taeyong, Jaehyun). In April 2026, SM Entertainment and Mark announced the mutual end of the contract, marking the end of 10 years of NCT career for the historic leader.

NCTzen, Meumwonbong, and the sub-units: the NCT signature

The fandom NCTzen (NCT + citizen) means that all fans are “citizens of NCT”, a unique cultural concept in K-pop. The official color is Pearl Neo Champagne, subtle and sophisticated. The lightstick Meumwonbong features a green square NCT logo with a white handle, reflecting the brand’s geometric visual identity. Linguistic detail: the Korean word for lightstick is “eungwonbong” with the round character ㅇ, replaced for NCT by the square character ㅁ (“m” in English), transforming “eung” into “meum” — a perfect reflection of NCT’s cube/square aesthetic. It works in 3 modes (on, blinking, flickering), uses 3 AAA batteries, with 5 hours autonomy.

The NCT concerts leverage the diversity of the sub-units. Members are distributed according to projects: NCT 127 continues its Neo City: The Momentum tours (last tour 2024-2025), NCT Dream breaks records with their THE DREAM SHOW tours, WayV is based in China for regional performances, NCT Wish is starting its international career. Projects periodically gather all members: NCT 2018 Empathy, NCT 2020 Resonance, NCT 2021 Universe, NCT 2023 Golden Age are albums that mobilize all available members with multiple sub-unit configurations. This flexibility allows NCT to be simultaneously present in several markets and genres.

NCT 127 continues to be the flagship of NCT for the international audience. Their 4th Tour Neo City: The Momentum reached several continents with performances recognized for their exceptional live quality (complex perfectly synchronized choreography, powerful live vocals). NCT Dream, originally a “JV team” with an age limit, finally saw the age limit removed in 2020, allowing all members to remain in the sub-unit despite their maturity. Their hits Hot Sauce, Glitch Mode, Broken Melodies define a more accessible pop-electro sound. WayV develops its own identity in China with Kick Back, Phantom, consolidating the Chinese K-pop market. NCT Wish and NCT JNJM represent the future of the project.

NCT’s flagship sub-units

NCT builds its empire on the complementarity of its sub-units. Here are the 3 main ones to know.

NCT 127 is THE flagship international sub-unit. 9 members post-Mark 2026: Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, Haechan (+ Winwin transferred to WayV). Based in Seoul (127 = longitude Seoul). Style: experimental neo hip-hop. Hits: Cherry Bomb, Kick It, Sticker, 2 Baddies. Sold-out international tours. The NCT sub-unit to absolutely know for any fan of contemporary K-pop boy groups.

NCT Dream represents the dynamic youth of the project. 6 members post-Mark 2026: Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, Jisung. Style: accessible pop-electro, energetic choreography, colorful concepts. Hits: Hot Sauce, Glitch Mode, Broken Melodies, ISTJ, Smoothie. Their world tours are sold out. First World Scout Foundation Global Ambassador, appointed 2018 FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Ambassador in 2017.

WayV completes the essential trio. Sub-unit based in China under Label V, with Kun, Ten, Xiaojun, Hendery, Yangyang, Winwin. Style: C-pop + K-pop fusion, promotions in Mandarin. Hits: Take Off, Turn Back Time, Kick Back, Phantom. WayV represents NCT’s ambition to conquer the Chinese market while preserving the K-pop connection. The newer sub-units NCT DoJaeJung (2023), NCT Wish (2024), and NCT JNJM (2026) expand the universe.

Who is NCT for? The NCTzen culture explained

NCT targets fans of experimental K-pop who value musical diversity and conceptual innovation. The Gen Z and millennials are the core of the NCTzen fandom, attracted by the richness of the sub-unit universes and the conceptual mass of the project. Hip-hop enthusiasts and neo music fans turn to NCT 127 and NCT U tracks. Fans of accessible pop-electro will prefer NCT Dream. Fans of Chinese-Korean culture will enthusiastically discover WayV. Ballad lovers will appreciate NCT DoJaeJung.

K-pop collectors will find an inexhaustible universe in NCT: 7 sub-units to collect, multiple album editions (colored versions, rare photocards), official SM Entertainment Meumwonbong lightsticks. Fans of multilingual artists will appreciate NCT’s diversity (American Johnny, Japanese Yuta, Canadian Mark, Thai Ten, Chinese WayV members, Japanese NCT Wish members). Solo artist fans will follow the solo debuts of NCT members: Ten with his self-titled EP 2024, Doyoung with Youth (April 2024), Jaehyun with J (August 2024), Yuta with Depth (October 2024). Travelers will plan their visits to Seoul around NCT 127 or NCT Dream concerts. Finally, fans of K-pop transformation will follow the project’s evolution post-Mark 2026, marking a turning point in NCT’s history.

Current era: NCT JNJM, 2026 comebacks, transitions

2026 is a pivotal year for NCT with several major transitions. In February 2026, SM Entertainment officially created the 7th sub-unit NCT JNJM composed of Jeno and Jaemin, with their first EP Both Sides released on February 23, 2026. This duo sub-unit marks an evolution of the “infinity members” concept toward more intimate configurations that allow members to explore their individual artistic identity within NCT.

On April 3, 2026, SM Entertainment announced the conclusion of Mark’s exclusive contract on April 8, exactly 10 years after his initial debut. After extensive discussions about his future, Mark decided to leave SM Entertainment as well as all NCT sub-units (NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream). This historic decision ends a decade of a founding member. NCT 127 now continues as a 7-member group: Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, Haechan. NCT Dream continues with 6 members: Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, Jisung.

To follow NCT news in 2026: prepare to acquire the Meumwonbong (lightstick specific to each sub-unit — 4 versions available for NCT 127, NCT Dream, WayV, NCT Wish), install the official NCT / SM app for concert synchronization, follow the official accounts of each sub-unit (Instagram, X/Twitter, Weibo for WayV). The next SM Rookies could lead to new sub-units. Expected comebacks in 2026: NCT Wish continues its development with new EPs, NCT Dream prepares a new project, WayV returns with new concepts. Meanwhile, solo debuts continue (more members are expected to follow Ten, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Yuta in their individual careers). With these multiple active fronts, NCT remains the largest and most diverse K-pop project in the contemporary landscape — a constantly expanding culture in the original spirit of Neo Culture Technology.

Frequently asked questions about NCT

How to recognize an authentic NCT product?

Authenticity of an NCT product involves several simple checks. First, the packaging must be perfectly clean, without spelling mistakes or blurry prints — counterfeits often have subtle but noticeable visual defects. Next, the barcode must correspond to a product listed in official Korean databases. Finally, the printed batch number allows verification of the manufacturing date and traceability. At Ma Petite Corée, all our products are sourced directly from South Korea through official channels, eliminating any risk of counterfeiting.

Our NCT selection at Ma Petite Corée

At Ma Petite Corée, we select each NCT reference with the utmost care. All our products come directly from South Korea, through verified short supply chains. Here is our favorite selection, available in stock and shipped from Seoul to mainland France in just a few days.

Why choose NCT at Ma Petite Corée?

Buying Korean products in Europe can bring unpleasant surprises on general marketplaces. Counterfeits, expired products, poor storage in non-air-conditioned warehouses: the risks are real. At Ma Petite Corée, we import each NCT product directly from Korea. Our Seoul-based team checks every batch before shipping to guarantee absolute authenticity and freshness of formulas.

We also offer exclusive references rarely distributed in France. Korean novelties, limited editions, special formats unavailable elsewhere: our catalog constantly evolves with new products selected by our Franco-Korean team. We test products beforehand to offer you only what really works on the ground, without giving in to passing marketing trends.

NCT embodies SM Entertainment’s experimental K-pop with its Neo Culture Technology concept founded in 2016 — 24+ members, 7 sub-units (NCT U, 127, Dream, WayV, DoJaeJung, Wish, JNJM). Fandom NCTzen, lightstick Meumwonbong, 45+ million albums sold, international tours of NCT 127 and NCT Dream. Find the entire NCT range at Ma Petite Corée and let yourself be tempted by this brand that embodies an essential facet of contemporary K-beauty.

Also explore our other Korean skincare brands, our K-beauty makeup universe, and discover our new imports from Seoul every week.

— Sora, Ma Petite Corée team