Seunghan has permanently left the popular K-pop boy group, RIIZE. The news comes two days after his reported comeback to the group.
In a statment posted late on the night of October 13, 2024, Wizard Production announced that Seunghan has decided to leave the group. Wizard Production, which handles RIIZE, is a label under the K-pop giant, SM Entertainment.
The statement indicated that Seunghan's departure from the group was his personal decision brought by his love and respect for his fellow RIIZE members, Wonbin, Sungchan, Sohee, Shotaro, Eunseok, and Anton. "At the same time, Seunghan has consistently expressed his desire to leave the group for the sake of the members and the fans," Wizard Production directors Kim Hyeong Guk and Lee Sang Min declared in their statement.
They added, "We will support Seunghan in the future so that he can showcase his talents and follow his dreams. Above all else, we also sincerely apologize for creating hardships and confusion for the six members who have, ever since their debut, always given their all while thinking of the fans and who made the RIIZE of today possible by thinking and working harder than anyone else in each and every moment."
Why did Seunghan leave RIIZE?
Following the news of him quitting the group, Seunghan posted a letter explaining his decision to leave. The 21-year-old apologized for the worries and the confusion that he caused RIIZE members and the fans called BRIIZE.
"So I think that my leaving the group is the right path for everyone," he wrote in his statement. "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 that he had thought about his decision and that it was a decision he sincerely wanted. As he thanked the company and his fans for supporting him, he solemnly declared his love for his now-former teammates.
"I truly do not want the relationship between RIIZE and BRIIZE, who were growing together while supporting one another, to be damaged because of me. 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. I will sincerely cheer on RIIZE, whom I love while hoping that they will receive more love in the future," Seunghan proclaimed.
Seunghan originally debuted as a member of RIIZE in September 2023. However, just two months after his debut with the group, SM Entertainment announced his "indefinite hiatus" from participating in RIIZE's activities. The hiatus appeared to be the result of the intense backlash against the then-20-year-old idol after photos of him lying in bed with a woman while smoking a cigarette circulated online.
Although the agency explained that the leaked photos were taken before he debuted as a K-pop idol, some fans still felt strongly against it saying that it was inappropriate behavior. Moreover, SM Entertainment noted in their statement that Seunghan insisted on taking a break to not cause further harm to the members and fans.
SM Entertainment's November 2023 statement on Seunghan read, "Seunghan feels mental pressure and responsibility regarding this, so after deep contemplation, he relayed his intention to halt activities for the team. [...] However, the videos and photos that are being leaked and circulated were taken in his personal time during his trainee days before his debut, and they were reproduced several times to cause misunderstandings through deliberate secondary editing such as taking screenshots of a video of which the source can be specified."
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Ten months after his "indefinite hiatus," RIIZE's management announced Seunghan's return to the group with much positivity—only to announce his permanent departure two days later.
The Internet reacts to Seunghan leaving RIIZE
On social media, international fans——even casual listeners of RIIZE and just simple K-pop fans—are devastated by the news. It was shocking to hear the news of his departure from the group two days after his comeback announcement.
However, photos of burial wreaths sent in front of the SM building circulated online on October 13, hours before the news about Seunghan leaving the group was announced. The photos of the wreaths that expressed some fans' disagreement with Seunghan's comeback drew a massive reaction from the public.
@trishhh.kr Poeple need to know about the Seunghan wreaths, SM needs to do something pt 3. #seunghan #riize #riizeis7 #riize_is_seven #justiceforseunghan #justice_fpr_seunghan #sevenornothing ? original sound - trishhh.kr
A video was also posted online, saying that it was allegedly Seunghan himself who personally saw the wreaths.
But regardless of the alleged clips shared online, the Internet feels extreme heartbreak for Seunghan. Some noted how his goodbye letter has been about putting the fans first and taking their feelings into consideration before himself. "Seunghan stating that he doesn’t wanna 'hurt the fans' by returning to Riize when this was [Briize's] reaction to him coming back not even 24 hours ago. Seunghan you're so loved I'm so sorry," one Internet user said on X (formerly Twitter).
Another pointed out how Seunghan worked so hard to be able to debut as a K-pop idol. But it was all in vain because some fans couldn't accept the fact that he was a normal teenager before debuting. "It hurts as an nctzen and pre-debut Briize to see Seunghan go from being an almost NCT member, to finally debuting in his own group with members who love him, just for all of his dreams to be snatched away because he was being a normal teenager," the comment read.
Amid everything, most fans and people on the Internet pray for Seunghan's mental health. Although he's going through an unfortunate incident in his life right now, they long for him to experience the life that he deserves without having to think about anyone else but himself.
