Shotaro and Sungchan: Who are NCT’s newest members?

SM Entertainment’s NCT has been going strong for four years now since the introduction of its first subunit NCT U in 2016. Over the years, NCT has introduced three more subunits, and more members to rotate through NCT’s various units. Now, NCT is looking to add to its membership again in preparation for a 2020 mega-project. 

On September 15th, 2020, NCT announced NCT 202o, a similar project to NCT 2018. Combining all the members of all NCT subunits, NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1 dropped on October 12th. But with the new album came new NCT members. Making their debut on NCT 2020 Resonance Pt 1., Shotaro & Sungchan joined the NCT family. 

Bringing new talent to SM

Both Shotaro & Sungchan are completely new to the K-pop world. Not a whole lot is known about either pre-debut, but NCT fans have theories about how the two were recruited by SM Entertainment. 

Shotaro was an avid TikTok star before joining NCT, best known for his dance videos. At one point, Shotaro even performed the choreography to NCT 127’s “Kick It” in a video. A few months ago however, Shotaro’s TikTok account was shut down. NCT fans assumed Shotaro’s account was shut down because he was recruited by SM Entertainment to become a trainee. 

Meanwhile, very little is known about Sungchan’s past. When discussing the new members, YangYang mentioned he’s known Sungchan for a long time, since his trainee days. Most fans interpreted these comments as Sungchan has been a SM trainee for years before finally making his debut in NCT. 

What unit are they joining?

While Sungchan & Shotaro are making their debut alongside the rest of the NCT members on NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1, fans want to know where the boys will remain after the group album comes out. Since Shotaro & Sunchan are under twenty years old, some NCT fans believe the two will join the lineup of NCT Dream, the teenaged subunit of NCT. 

However, SM Entertainment recently changed the structure of NCT Dream, stating there would be no more “graduations” in the unit. Fans believe this was SM’s way of saying the lineup of NCT Dream would not be changing. Therefore, fans believe the two new members of NCT would be joining a new sub-unit, and existing members of NCT would switch units to join Shotaro & Sungchan.

All we know for sure is that both Shotaro and Sungchan appeared on NCT U singles the same day NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1 debuted. Fans aren’t sold either member will stay in NCT U however. 

Getting to know Shotaro

Born November 25th, 2000, Shotaro will become the fourth youngest member of NCT. A ridiculously talented dancer since the age of five, fans assume Shotaro will join the dance line of whatever sub-unit he joins. 

When he’s not tearing up the dance floor, Shotaro enjoys basketball and watching mukbang videos online. Shotaro also plans on studying Korean in his freetime, as he’s Japanese and doesn’t know the language natively. Shotaro’s favorite foods include sushi, dango, and cake, as Shotaro has a killer sweet tooth. 

He likes to think his smile is his most charming point, and believes he has a soft personality. Already, we’re head over heels in love with Shotaro. 

Getting to know Sungchan

The third  youngest member of NCT, Sungchan was born on September 13th, 2001. Another dancer, Sungchan is also a talented rapper. Most NCT fans believe Sungchan will be the newest member of the rap life of whatever sub-unit he joins.

When off-stage, Sungchan enjoys working out, watching cute animal videos, soccer, and playing video games. His favorite cuisine includes sushi and sashimi. For Sungchan, he feels his eyes and height are his most charming aspects. He also acknowledges his personality is clumsy and forgetful to a T. 

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We’re excited to see Shotaro & Sungchan grow as members of NCT. If you want to learn what the rest of NCT was doing at the beginning of the year before quarantine ruined everything, you can read about that here.