There are many foreign members of NCT, since they’re targeting international fans outside Korea and doing many promotions in China, and one of them, that we will discuss in this article, is Winwin. Born as Dong Si-cheng in China on October 29th, 1997, he was first introduced as part of SM’s pre-debut training team SMROOKIES in January 2016. He was featured in NCT U’s music video “WITHOUT YOU” before his debut. In July 2016, WINWIN made his official debut with the mini-album NCT #127 as a member of the unit NCT 127. Even though he already debuted in NCT’s Chinese unit WayV and gained more popularity in his home country, many fans are still upset with how SM treated him. Rumor has it, SM wants to erase the existence of Winwin, and in this article, we will be providing you with the information you need to know whether the rumor is true or not. So, stay tuned!
Winwin Only Had One Line in WayV’s Debut Song, “Regular”
On January 17th, 2019, WayV debuted with the release of the single “Regular.” The single is actually a Chinese version of NCT 127’s song with the same title. Not only packed in Chinese, but WayV also presented a new MV that is no less cool than the original version.
Their debut was a huge success both in China and Korea, but fans are furious for the fact that Winwin only has one line in WayV’s debut song. NCT fans anticipated that WayV’s version of “Regular” would have more lines for Winwin, and they wished to see Winwin take the center stage in the new unit, so imagine how disappointed they were when the song was released and Winwin still got the same treatment like when he was in NCT 127. NCT 127 fans expected that Winwin would play a more active part in WayV and would sing in his native language, but of course, that didn’t happen. https://twitter.com/fritzzzzzzzzz_/status/1085896909150015488 When fans watched the fresh music video from WayV, however, they were upset that Winwin had hardly any role in the song. Winwin was predominantly in the background and without any lyrics had no solo components except for a brief second. https://twitter.com/jiminhmu/status/1085940668600643584 NCT fans around the world are already experiencing high tensions due to Winwin pulling out of all NCT 127 group activities. He is not taking part in the first solo concert in Korea by NCT 127 as well as the Japanese concert tour. He has not been mentioned in NCT 127’s official tweets or announcements since the announcement of his debut as WayV. They expect so much from WayV’s debut to the point that they’re asking why SM Entertainment pulled WinWin out of NCT 127 if the new group wouldn’t even have more screen time for him. https://twitter.com/JurajilPark10/status/1085889908831444997 So, what do you guys think about this situation? Is SM being unfair to Winwin?
Winwin’s Unfair Line Distribution
You know the situation is so bad when you can even make a compilation of Winwin’s lines in his three years with NCT and WayV in just a less than a 5-minute video.
NCT fans, were once again, furious with SM and how they treated their artists. This is what they say: [+471] At least he’s getting more lines recently, but oooof… A less than a 5-minute video shows his lines being in 3 different subunits for almost three years… [+120] He’s been in many different units for almost 3 years now and THIS VIDEO IS NOT EVEN 5 MINUTES SMH [+36] This is honestly ridiculous. Less than 5 minutes worth of lines in a span of almost 3 years within 3 different units.
— kenzie waved at yuuuuutaa (@WECHENLE) August 27, 2019 Many fans speculated why SM didn’t give Winwin more line. Some of them said it is because Winwin can’t sing or rap, and other fans said it is because he is a Chinese member. SM already had a bad reputation with the way they handle their foreign artists, so it’s really not surprising. But what do you guys think? Does Winwin deserve to have more line?
Winwin Wasn’t Allowed to Sing or Dance Without His Bandmate by SM?
In May 2019, on the Chinese show My Brilliant Masters, NCT/WayV’s Winwin was a guest. Winwin informed the crowd during the episode that he was unable to dance due to mouth ulcers. However, this reason was odd, as mouth ulcers would not impact one’s dancing ability. It was found that the true reason Winwin could not dance was that, without the NCT members, his company would not allow him to sing or dance alone. To attempt to get out of the frame, Winwin was seen hiding in the corner. The show’s cast members questioned if his company was not allowing him to sing or dance, they also attempted their utmost to help him and told him that they would all sing together.
— ً (@tennybar) May 17, 2019 https://twitter.com/was_boom/status/1156607136996237314 This has irritated many fans and they are calling out to SM Entertainment. In reaction to the unfair treatment they gave Winwin, they released an open letter to the company. In Chinese, they released one: In Korean: Also in English: Some fans attempted to defend SM, claiming it was more the fault of Label V. Many have pointed out that Label V is an SM Entertainment subsidiary, ultimately pointing it back to them. SM Entertainment has not released any statements regarding this issue. What do you guys think about it?
