K-POP SHAKEUP: SEUNGHAN BIDS FAREWELL TO RIIZE

K-pop star Seunghan is officially departing from the boy group RIIZE, according to an announcement made on the group’s social media.

This news drops just two days after Wizard Production, the SM Entertainment team managing the group, revealed that the 21-year-old star would be making his highly anticipated comeback after almost a yearlong break.

In a statement shared on RIIZE’s official X account (formerly Twitter) on 13 October, translated by Soompi, Wizard Production expressed their apologies to BRIIZE (the group’s fanbase) for “hurting” and “causing confusion” with their 11 October update about Seunghan’s return.

The sudden change shocked many fans, with replies and reposts showing disappointment and surprise.

Seunghan had been on indefinite hiatus since November 2023 after personal photos and videos leaked online, showing him kissing an unidentified woman in bed and smoking a cigarette.

This viral photo from 28 August last year fueled further controversy, with a caption on X claiming, “RIIZE’s Hong Seung-han took a teenage girlfriend to a motel.”

His break leaves RIIZE with six remaining members: Sungchan, Shotaro, Eunseok, Wonbin, Sohee and Anton.

Seunghan had been a controversial figure even before his official debut on 4 September. Another video, which went viral on 18 November, showed him smoking and recording himself. While he was of legal smoking age, his behavior was seen as inappropriate for a K-pop trainee, leading to an LED truck protest by RIIZE fans in front of SM Entertainment’s headquarters.

Optimism

The 11 October statement, translated by Soompi, announcing Seunghan’s return, was filled with optimism for the group’s future. It stated that Seunghan was expected to rejoin group activities in November. The statement read, “We at Wizard Production poured our heart and soul into planning out RIIZE even before their debut, and we have determined that RIIZE’s next chapter would be even more meaningful if the seven members were together. Therefore, after numerous discussions with the staff and members about the direction of the group’s future activities, it has been decided that Seunghan will be returning to the group.”

However, just two days later, on 13 October, a new statement from the company explained that Seunghan’s return, after “reflecting on his past wrongdoings,” was meant to “give the artist and the fans greater joy.” It went on to say, “However, upon announcing his return, we ruminated carefully on each and every one of the opinions and responses sent in by fans, and we realized that our decision had actually hurt fans more and caused them greater confusion instead.”

“At the same time, Seunghan has consistently expressed his desire to leave the group for the sake of the members and the fans. Out of respect for the artist’s decision, we are announcing Seunghan’s departure from RIIZE, instead of his joining the group,” the statement continued.

Apologetic

In a handwritten letter shared on Weverse, Seunghan explained his decision to leave RIIZE.

“After pondering deeply whether I’ve been thinking only of myself too much, whether I’m causing too much harm to the members and the company, and whether it’s really okay for me to be part of RIIZE, who should be loved, I only felt worried and apologetic,” he said.

He continued, “So I think that my leaving the group is the right path for everyone. I don’t want to cause any more hurt or confusion for the fans, and I don’t want to harm the members any further, and I also don’t want to hurt the company any further.”

Seunghan expressed concern for the relationship between RIIZE and its fanbase, adding, “It also breaks my heart to see the fans, for whom it should be more than enough to just love RIIZE, fighting with each other because of me.”

At the time of writing, a Change.org petition titled “We Want Seunghan Back! RIIZE is 7!!!!!,” launched on 13 October by a user named Lauren Lim, had gathered over 130,563 signatures.

Meanwhile, on “stan twt” (the fan space on X), K-pop fans across different fandoms are rallying behind RIIZE’s fanbase, BRIIZE, with messages of support.

The viral posts read, “Let’s support #RIIZE’s fandom BRIIZE, who are going through a difficult time right now. Regardless of the reason for removing a member, let’s show solidarity!”

Hashtags like “BRING BACK SEUNGHAN” and “JUSTICE FOR SEUNGHAN” have also gone viral.

RIIZE has not yet released any further statements.