A member of the K-pop group NCT Dream has been diagnosed with COVID-19. In a statement released on April 30, SM Entertainment said that member Jisung of the NCT sub-unit had tested positive for COVID-19. All activities have been temporarily halted while he recovers.
Using rapid antigen tests, all of the other members of NCT Dream had tested negative, including Jisung, who suffers from a mild sore throat. NCT’s Jisung is the group’s only member to have tested positive for COVID-19 thus far – none of the group’s 23 members had ever been infected with the virus until yesterday.
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SM Entertainment’s complete English statement translated via Soompi reads that Jisung “was diagnosed on April 29. Jisung previously received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and he does not have any particular symptoms aside from a mild sore throat. He has currently halted all scheduled activities and is undergoing treatment in self-isolation at home in accordance with the guidelines of government health authorities.”
“The [remaining] NCT Dream members used rapid antigen tests as a precautionary measure, and all of their test results came back negative,” the message continued.”Our agency will continue to adhere strictly to the guidelines of health authorities, and we will consider our artist’s health our top priority and do our utmost to help him focus entirely on recovering.”
In April, NCT Dream debuted on the Billboard 200 chart with their second studio album, Glitch Mode, at No. 50. It ranked no. 5 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales and Top Current Album Sales charts. Glitch Mode also debuted at no. 2 on Billboard’s World Albums chart and no. 7 on the Independent Albums chart.
In addition, NCT Dream re-entered Billboard’s Artist 100 at No. 39, marking their highest ranking yet. The members of NCT Dream held an online comeback press conference on March 28, where Jisung described their reaction to the title track, “Glitch Mode,” sharing, “When we first heard ‘Glitch Mode,’ the members all said that it was really memorable. I liked that aspect and I liked that there were parts we could emphasize with the choreography.”
NCT Dream stated at the event that these promotions were to return the love the band has received from its fans. Renjun explained, “For our first [full-length] album, we decided not to focus on results and just showcase fun performances, songs, and dances, but we were so thankful to receive so much love. In these promotions, we want to capture that heart and work hard to prove that we are idols worthy of receiving that kind of love.”
As a final note, Mark said, “We do not take the love we receive for granted. Our goal is for Seasony [nickname for NCT’s fan club NCTzen] to feel that too through this album. Our second album is not the end, but an album we’ve prepared while thinking about our growth. Conveying all that and showcasing our upgraded image is also our goal.”
