SM trainee Ryu has seemingly confirmed his departure from the company.
Ryu | SM Entertainment
Earlier this year, SM Entertainment announced that Shotaro and Sungchan would depart from NCT to debut in the new boy group RIIZE. In the same announcement, the company stated that a new NCT unit would be formed through the survival show NCT Universe: LASTART.
| SM Entertainment
After introducing two new SM Rookies, confirmed for debut, 11 others competed for their spots in the group.
| SM Entertainment
The final line-up of NCT New Team consisted of seven members before Jungmin‘s return to trainee status, with the members failing to make the group assumed to continue training.
Recently, it was discovered that LASTART contestant Ryu, brother of EXILE‘s Alan Shirahama, had created his own personal Instagram account.
| SM Entertainment
With trainees of most K-Pop companies, creating solo social media accounts usually signals that they are no longer trainees. This is especially true with SM Entertainment, as many newly debuted idols go years without individual accounts.
Ryu shared photos of himself, showing his face for the first time since the competition ended in the summer.
Many concluded that Ryu is no longer an SM trainee and shared messages of joy at seeing him again, expressing they would support him in his future endeavors.
On December 21, Ryu shared a post on his Instagram story, thanking everyone for their support and sharing that he was healthy and happy.
| @shirahama_ryukun/Instagram
We wish Ryu the best in his future endeavors!
