Group NCT 127 is pursuing a “military hiatus minimization” strategy to shorten the team’s downtime. SM Entertainment announced that DoYoung and JungWoo will enlist on December 8, on the same day, with DoYoung serving as an active-duty soldier in the Army and JungWoo joining the Army as a military band member. SM noted that there will be no special events on the enlistment day and asked fans to refrain from visiting the venue for safety reasons.

The enlistment is viewed as a move to minimize disruption to the group’s activities. After they enlist, Taeyong is scheduled to be discharged on December 14, and Jaehyun is expected to complete his military service in May next year, allowing the group to resume full activities sooner.

With two members entering service, the remaining members—Johnny, Yuta, and Mark—do not have mandatory military duties, leaving only Haechan to fulfill his service. As a result, NCT 127 could reunite with a full lineup as early as 2027, once DoYoung and JungWoo are discharged, or after Haechan completes his service.

Even during military service, the group has continued to attend concerts and award ceremonies and has pursued solo activities. Fans can expect the remaining members to engage in various group, unit, and solo activities moving forward.

Since debuting in 2016, NCT 127 has released numerous hits such as Cherry Bomb, Favourite, Hero, Jump, Sticker, Fact Check, and Bughduk, building a solid global fanbase. The group will likely reunite with a full lineup after completing military service, and fans are eager to see what that lineup will look like.

Ahead of enlistment, the members have stayed connected with fans. DoYoung recently met fans across six countries and seven cities during his 2025 Doors tour and hosted the October 2025 encore concert Your, while JungWoo is set to hold his first solo fan meeting, Golden Sugar Time, at the Olympic Park’s TicketLink Live Arena on October 28.