Meet the new NCT faces: Shotaro and Sungchan

SM Entertainment first introduced NCT through its NCT U subunit in 2016. The larger project quickly expanded with additional subunits and members who rotated across those units. In 2020 the company announced NCT 2020, a project that gathered members from every subunit for a pair of albums. NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1 arrived on October 12, 2020 and introduced two new faces, Shotaro and Sungchan.

Bringing new talent to SM

Shotaro and Sungchan arrived with no prior group experience. Sungchan had trained at SM for several years alongside YangYang and other future NCT members. Shotaro’s pre-debut visibility came mainly from dance videos posted on TikTok, an account that later became inactive. Those details supplied the clearest public record of how each entered the trainee system before their joint debut.

What unit are they joining?

Both members appeared on NCT U tracks released with Resonance Pt. 1. No permanent subunit assignment followed. They remained listed under the broader NCT umbrella only until May 2023, when SM moved them to a new project.

Getting to know Shotaro

Shotaro was born November 25, 2000 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. He began dance training at age five and continued that focus after joining SM. He studied Korean as a second language and maintained interests in basketball and food videos. Those traits stayed consistent once he began performing with RIIZE.

Getting to know Sungchan

Sungchan was born September 13, 2001 in Seoul. He trained as both a dancer and rapper, skills that carried into his later work. Offstage he listed workouts, soccer, video games, and animal clips among his interests. His height and expressive eyes remained signature traits noted by fans.

Transition to RIIZE

On May 24, 2023 SM Entertainment announced that Shotaro and Sungchan would leave NCT to join a new boy group. RIIZE debuted on September 4, 2023 with the single album Get a Guitar. The company framed the move as part of its SM 3.0 strategy and cited artistic direction as the deciding factor.

RIIZE Activities and Success

Get a Guitar sold more than one million copies in its first week. The six-member lineup also includes former SM Rookies Eunseok and Seunghan along with Wonbin, Sohee, and Anton. Early promotions featured high-energy choreography that highlighted Shotaro’s dance background and Sungchan’s rap delivery.

Official Reason for NCT Departure

SM stated the decision followed extended discussions about artistic direction and the members’ own preferences. NCT Tokyo continued without them. The move ended any speculation that the pair would form a new NCT subunit or remain in the existing roster.

Ongoing Connection to NCT

Shotaro and Sungchan contributed to Resonance Pt. 1, Resonance Pt. 2, and the 2021 album Universe. In later interviews they occasionally reference their NCT period when discussing early training experiences. Those credits stand as their documented history within the larger NCT project.