RIIZE’s Seunghan to go on an indefinite hiatus following rumors surrounding his personal life

By: Gelene Peñalosa - 1 year ago

Just because he smoked a little and had some bi***es.

K-Pop stan Twitter, or better yet, SM Ent. group stans are no strangers to the phrase “hiatus due to personal reasons,” or other phrases along those lines. Quite literally, some may even be triggered by just that phrase, and it’s a canon event for almost every fandom.

The news of a K-Pop idol’s sudden hiatus from the industry is not a new thing to the K-Pop stan community, and today was just one of those days.

On November 22, 2023, SM Entertainment announced that Seunghan, one of the members of the rookie boy group RIIZE, will be taking a step back from group activities due to the incessant rumors surrounding his personal life. SM Entertainment also noted that the member had expressed a “mental burden and responsibility” for the move.

SM Entertainment released a press statement on their official social media accounts, as well as on RIIZE’s social media pages. Below is the translated statement as adapted by Soompi:

“Hello, this is SM Entertainment. This is a notice regarding RIIZE member Seunghan.

Seunghan is feeling severely apologetic and is reflecting on himself for causing disappointment and commotion to not only the team and members but also to fans due to issues regarding his personal life that are being leaked and circulated recently via social media and online communities.

Seunghan feels mental pressure and responsibility regarding this, so after deep contemplation, he relayed his intention to halt activities for the team.

We also judged that it is too difficult for him to continue activities through this situation, and respecting his opinion of no longer wanting to cause harm to the team and members, we decided on the indefinite suspension of his activities.

It is an abrupt situation, but we ask for the generous understanding of fans as it is a matter that was decided through careful discussion with the artist himself, and we are feeling great responsibility for being inattentive about artist management although it was before his debut. We once again deeply apologize to fans.

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.

In addition, the individuals who are leaking and circulating these videos and photos are even using malicious means of creating groundless false information and messenger conversations that do not exist, continuing acts of severe defamation toward the artist by spreading fabricated and distorted information that is different from the truth.

We began monitoring immediately after recognizing the above situation, and we specified who was behind the unauthorized leaks and circulation after collecting a significant amount of evidence. We plan on filing a legal complaint this afternoon at the local police station.

In addition, we are considering additional legal action against the specified individual not only for defaming the artist through unauthorized leaks and circulation but also for various illegal acts such as cybercrimes and threats.

For the sake of the artist and team as well as the fans who love the team, the agency will not only file legal complaints but also respond strongly without any settlement or leniency to all forms of secondary harm such as generating as well as circulating and reproducing additional posts about thoughtless rumors regarding the artist.

We will continue to do our best for the protection of our agency’s artists. Thank you.”

Seunghan also penned a letter to his fans and was posted on RIIZE’s WeVerse page.

BRIIZE, RIIZE’s fans, were saddened at the news, but nevertheless showed their support towards RIIZE and Seunghan. Others also did not fail to use the situation to criticize SM Ent. in its “efforts of protecting their artists,” when there is a glaring difference in their actions to their other artists who have been attacked in a similar way.

https://twitter.com/rzsnghan/status/1727573729948155954?s=20

https://twitter.com/skrrseeun/status/1727136174337380819?s=20

https://twitter.com/rzsnghan/status/1727576394618835414?s=20

https://twitter.com/eunseokrealwife/status/1727633802569322905?s=20

https://twitter.com/rzsnghan/status/1727179480186458286?s=20

Some of the accounts that have released rumors of Seunghan had already apologized following SM Entertainment’s steps to legal actions. However, fans are still angry and want them to face the consequences of their actions.

https://twitter.com/rzsnghan/status/1727305869715759572?s=20

https://twitter.com/drgobyun/status/1727134330936262851?s=20

On November 23, 2023, South Korean media outlet Top Star News reported that a truck cheering for RIIZE’s Seunghan was seen in front of the SM Entertainment building. The truck had messages reading, “BRIIZE will be by Seunghan’s side until the end” and “Our 7 RIIZE stars, let’s walk the flower path together.”

https://twitter.com/rzsnghan/status/1727509737934327832?s=20

We stand by you, Seunghan! BRIIZE will always be waiting for you!

 

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