Mark Lee’s Next Chapter Has a Name — and It’s Called Upper Room

Two months after closing a decade-long chapter with NCT, Mark Lee isn’t slowing down. He’s building something entirely his own.

When Did Mark Lee Leave NCT?

On April 3, Mark Lee announced his departure from all units of NCT — including NCT 127, NCT Dream, and NCT U — after a decade with the renowned boy band. In a handwritten letter, he wrote: “As I bring a 10-year contract to a close, I began to think about what the best dream I could have might be.”

It was a heartfelt goodbye from one of K-pop’s most beloved all-rounders — and now, just two months later, the answer to that dream has arrived.

What Is Upper Room?

On June 4, Upper Room announced: “Mark has officially launched the creative company Upper Room, which will serve as the starting point for his music, creative vision, and the various projects he will pursue in the future.” Founded by Mark alongside longtime colleagues he has built trust with over the years, Upper Room is a creative company centered on music, with plans to organically connect various content fields — including video, visual art, and performance — to expand his creative world in a multidimensional way.

Mark has taken on the role of co-representative for the newly founded company, which is registered under his real name, Lee Mark. allkpop

What Does the Name Mean?

The account features a short, colorful trailer-style video containing the logo of “Upper Room” alongside a video of the biblical passage from Mark 14:12–15. “Upper Room” refers to the upper room of Mark, and Mark (John Mark) is the Romanized name of the author of the Gospel of Mark — the same as Mark’s English name.

The name carries spiritual weight while doubling as a deeply personal statement. It’s the kind of thoughtful branding you’d expect from an artist who’s been quietly building toward this moment.

Fan and Industry Reactions

Chenle, a member of NCT Dream, showed support for Mark’s new venture by reacting with a firework emoji under one of the posts uploaded on the Upper Room account. Daily Jang

The gesture was small but meaningful — proof that the bonds built inside NCT don’t simply disappear when contracts end. For more updates on K-pop artists going independent, check out our K-pop solo artist tracker at technosports.co.in.

What’s Next for Mark Lee?

His first solo album, The Firstfruit, from last year was chosen as one of the best K-pop sets of the year by Billboard. With that kind of momentum and now full creative independence, Upper Room sets the stage for what could be the most exciting era of Mark’s career yet. The Korea Herald

Upper Room is exactly what the independent music label model was made for — an artist-owned, vision-first space where creativity isn’t filtered through a corporate lens. Keep an eye on our K-pop news hub at technosports.co.in for everything Mark drops next

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