After the departures of NCT127 member Mark and WayV member Ten from their agency, SM Entertainment, following the expiration of their exclusive contracts.

Similarly, a new announcement was shared on the fan communication platform Weverse, revealing the end of the deal with soloist Lucas. As of Friday, his contract has come to an end, and he will part ways with the company.

Lucas exits SM Entertainment after 8 years of debut

The following statement was shared on Lucas' social media channel, confirming his departure.
'Hello, this is SM Entertainment.
We would like to sincerely thank all fans for your continued love and support for Lucas.
We hereby inform you that the exclusive contract with Lucas has concluded as of April 24.
We will cherish every moment shared, from the early trainee days to the various activities Lucas took part in after his debut, and continue to support him as he begins this new chapter.
We kindly ask you to support Lucas's new journey with encouragement.
Thank you.'

Lucas debuted as a member of NCT's sub-unit NCT U on February 18, 2018, with the lead single BOSS, and his official debut did not happen until the studio album NCT 2018 Empathy. He went on to be a part of the groups SuperM and WayV, the former of which was a supergroup with members from EXO, SHINee, and NCT, while the latter is the Chinese team formed under the NCT umbrella. His personal controversy led to his exit from both teams and his embarkation on a solo career in May 2023.

Lucas is the third artist from the NCT faction to leave SM Entertainment this month. Mark decided to leave the teams NCT 127 and NCT DREAM, as well as the company entirely, after a 10-year journey. Ten expressed his wish to continue to be a part of the NCT universe's NCT U and WayV sub-units as and when possible.