Ten (텐)

Thai artist Ten occupies a distinctive position within SM Entertainment's NCT universe — not as a peripheral member but as one of the constellation's most kinetically gifted performers, whose work across three separate units has made him one of the more internationally recognizable figures to have come out of the franchise. Born Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul in Thailand, he trained under SM Entertainment's pre-debut program SM Rookies before being folded into the sprawling NCT structure, where his profile has been shaped as much by his dancing as by his output across borders.

Debut & Formation

Ten entered SM Entertainment through its SM Rookies pre-debut program, one of the more rigorous training pipelines in the Korean industry. His path to a formal debut ran through NCT, the multi-unit group SM launched in 2016 with a rotating membership model that was unusual for the industry at the time. Within that framework, Ten was placed in NCT U, the unit designed for flexible, project-based releases rather than fixed rosters — a placement that signaled SM's confidence in his adaptability. His roles within NCT U span dancer, vocalist, and occasional rapper, reflecting the range the unit demands from its members.

Music & Discography

The more consequential development in Ten's career came with the formation of WayV, SM Entertainment's Mandarin-language unit launched in 2019, which operates as both a subunit of NCT and as a standalone act within the Chinese market. Within WayV, Ten holds the roles of main dancer, main vocalist, sub-rapper, and center — a concentration of primary positions that underscores his centrality to the group's performance identity. WayV's positioning as a Chinese-market act gave Ten a second distinct audience and creative context, separate from NCT's primarily Korean and global fanbase.

He has also participated in a subunit with fellow WayV member Yangyang, further extending his activity within the SM system's interconnected structure.

Alongside his group work, Ten has pursued solo material, developing a solo discography that draws on his background in contemporary and street dance styles. His solo output has leaned into darker, more movement-driven aesthetics, consistent with the artistic direction he has maintained across his group activities.

Activities

In 2026, Ten launched SOLD OUT, a global variety series distributed through YouTube in partnership with Must Creative, premiering on March 28. The show's format places Ten inside real workplaces — he participates in daily operations through a blind audition selection process — and connects Korean and Thai settings, a structure that reflects his own background as a Thai artist working primarily within the Korean entertainment industry. Episodes have placed him at Kukkiwon, the official headquarters of Taekwondo in Seoul, where he trained alongside NCT member Tsuki and performed in a public demonstration; at a Bangkok beauty retail outlet called MULTY BEAUTY, where he worked alongside Thai actor PEEK and engaged with K-beauty promotion; and at Thai Lion Air, where he took on flight attendant and production manager duties alongside guest Jaonaay. Additional episodes have featured collaborations with acts including Lee Hyun and Baby DON'T CRY.

The series is notable as a solo hosting project — Ten functions as the lead rather than as a participating member — and its dual Korea-Thailand axis gives it a cross-cultural dimension that most idol-adjacent variety content does not attempt.

Members

Within WayV, Ten serves alongside a fixed lineup as main dancer and main vocalist, with the center designation marking him as the group's primary visual and performance anchor on stage. His subunit with Yangyang represents one of the more defined pairings within WayV's internal structure.

Within NCT and NCT U, his positions are listed with vocalist carrying an asterisk — a designation used within SM's official materials to indicate a secondary or flexible assignment within a given unit's hierarchy, distinguishing it from his primary vocalist role in WayV.

Legacy

Ten's significance within K-pop rests less on any single chart milestone documented in the available record and more on the structural position he holds: a non-Korean artist who entered one of the genre's most complex multi-unit franchises and became a principal figure across its most dance-intensive and vocally demanding roles. His trajectory as a Thai national who trained in Korea, debuted in a Korean group, became a lead member of a Mandarin-language subunit, and subsequently launched an independently hosted bilingual variety series illustrates the degree to which the K-pop industry's reach has complicated simple national or linguistic categories. The *SOLD OUT* project, still ongoing as of mid-2026, represents his most visible move toward a creative identity that extends beyond the NCT framework.