On April 20, SM Entertainment confirmed that NCT Dream's Renjun will take a hiatus from the upcoming group activities due to health concerns. Previously SM Entertainment had announced that the NCT Dream member would be absent from several events because of his worsening health. The agency later updated the fans about his condition and confirmed that he would halt his activities temporarily as advised by the doctors.
The Entertainment company informed fans that Renjun experienced worsening physical health and symptoms of anxiety. Therefore, as per the doctor’s advice, he requires a healthy amount of rest to recover and get stability. The Smoothie singer could not participate in the video call fan sign event for NCT Dream's latest album on April 20 at 2 pm KST.
SM Entertainment stated,
“Therefore, Renjun will not be participating in his scheduled activities starting from the fan signing event scheduled for today (April 20), and we will make another announcement in the future when he is able to resume his activities.” translated by Soompi
The agency also confirmed that Renjun will not perform at the group concert scheduled to take place in May.
They wrote,
“NCT DREAM’s third concert “THE DREAM SHOW 3 : DREAM()SCAPE,” which will take place from May 2 to 4, will be held with the six remaining members: Mark, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung. Therefore, we ask for fans’ generous understanding.”
SM Entertainment’s statement on NCT Dream's Renjun's hiatus due to health conditions
NCT Dream made their comeback with the fifth mini album DREAM()SCAPE on March 25, 2024, including six tracks: Icantfeelanything, Box, Carat Cake, Unknown, Breathing, and Smoothie. The K-pop boy group is currently promoting their album in full swing by attending music shows, fan signing events, and more.
However, recently Renjun has been absent from some events given his health conditions. On April 13, the NCT Dream member could not appear on the NHK Japanese Music Show Venue 101 for the group's comeback promotions. He was also unable to participate in the fan signing event in China which was held on the following day, April, 14.
On April 20, SM Entertainment released an official statement on Weverse to inform fans about his schedule. The agency stated that their artist's health is their utmost priority and they made the decision after consulting Renjun that he would focus on his recovery and treatment, and take a temporary break. They also apologized to fans for causing concerns regarding his condition and reassured them that they would help him recover and return to a healthy state.
Before concluding the statement, SM Entertainment revealed that they are in the process of taking legal action against any hate posts made against their artist.
They stated,
“Additionally, we are consistently checking for malicious posts, including hateful slander, sexual harassment, false rumors, insults, and defamation of character, about not only Renjun but all of our artists, and we are currently in the process of filing lawsuits [against those responsible]. We plan to hold the culprits legally responsible, with no settlements or leniency, and we will make efforts to protect our artists’ rights.”
Renjun's response to hate comments
On April 7, the ISTJ singer made headlines for responding to a disrespectful and hateful comment about K-pop idols by an anonymous sasaeng fan on Bubble. The sasaeng fan made a comment criticizing idols’ live stage performances saying,
“It has become so easy for idols to live. They make money according to their looks, they date according to their looks.”
The NCT Dream vocalist decided to not hold back and replied to the comment asking them to speak to their lawyers and stating that the idols are also humans and feel hardships. His response garnered attention online and was supported by many fans and netizens.