"I'll be more careful": RIIZE's Seunghan releases an apology letter to fans following the couple photo scandal

On Wednesday, August 30, RIIZE's Seunghan uploaded an apology letter through the group's official Instagram account, @riizeofficial, after the couple photo scandal blew up on the internet. On August 28, a bunch of photos of the idol being intimate with his partner went viral, which inevitably caused a stir among netizens.

It also garnered a lot of negative attention to the idol and the group due to the disapproval and upset reactions sent through by fans on the internet. While there was still much support from a handful of fans, the damage that the leaked photos caused inevitably had Seunghan speaking up about it.

"I'll be more careful not only on the stage, but also in every situation I go through," he wrote in his apology.

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"I was scared and anxious": RIIZE's Seunghan opens up about his recent couple photo scandal through his apology letter to fans

On August 28, when pictures of RIIZE's Seunghan kissing his partner surfaced on the internet, fans went through a roller coaster of emotions. Fans were confused about how to react, especially since it looked like the pictures weren't taken too long ago and were selfies that were clicked by the idol himself.

Many fans were naturally worried about the growing scandal since RIIZE has yet to debut, and the controversy might eventually damage their image. Akin to many fans' predictions, the idol received a lot of hate and frustrated responses from netizens.

As the controversy began to blow out of proportion, Seunghan released a statement of apology explaining his stance.

"Hello, I am Seunghan. I thought I should tell you before I stand in front of you all, so I wrote this. First of all, I sincerely apologize to the fans who are supporting RIIZE. I have caused personal damage to the team at a very important and decisive moment before my debut, and I have also been a disappointment to the members and the staff. I'm also sorry that I couldn't apologize quickly because I was scared and anxious," he said.

He further said that he will now prioritize RIIZE and do his best so his fans can feel his sincerity towards the team.

"All of this happened out of my rashness, without any excuse or blaming someone, and I reflected a lot on my past time and actions. From now on, I will put RIIZE first...I will do my best so that you can feel my sincerity towards the team and fans through my actions. Once again, I'm sorry. Thank you for reading this long article," he said.

Following the confession, the internet has grown calmer as they begin to sympathize with him. Additionally, SM Entertainment released a statement soon after Seunghan's apology post. They said they'll be taking legal action against the people who leaked the idol's photos since the unauthorized release of photos related to an individual's personal life is considered illegal.

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With both statements landing on the internet, fans hope the controversy will settle down and people will focus on RIIZE's upcoming debut.