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On November 22, 2023, KST, SM Entertainment announced that Seunghan had been suspended from RIIZE activities because of a recent incident involving his personal circumstances.
According to the announcement by SM Entertainment, it stated that Seunghan is sincere in his apology and acknowledges the uncertainty and despair that his personal life-related problems have caused the team, its members, and its fans. The company stated that the idol would be taking a break from his activities.
Seunghan became involved in controversy when pictures from his private life went viral, in August, which depicted the idol kissing a girl in a hotel room. Other clips and images which included recordings of him making video calls with other idols went viral. Additionally, pictures of him smoking on the streets of Japan were posted online a few days before his debut on November 17, 2023.
Even when the rookie idol from RIIZE is engulfed in an ongoing scandal, his fans have shown unfaltering support.
"So unfair and upsetting": Fans express disagreement with SM Entertainment's decision of Seunghan's activities suspension
RIIZE made their SM Entertainment debut on September 4, 2023, with their first single, Get A Guitar. But compared to the group premiere, the ongoing controversy has gotten far more attention than it deserves. Amidst all of this, SM Entertainment released a statement and mentioned that it is the choice of the idol as "he expressed his intention to suspend his activities."
"Seunghan is sincerely sorry and reflects on the disappointment and confusion caused to the team and members as well as the fans due to issues related to his personal life. Seunghan felt a burden and responsibility and after deep consideration, made the best choice for the team. He expressed his intention to suspend his activities. We respected his opinion and decided to suspend his activities indefinitely."
Meanwhile, an X user, @_Mythamos_, has posted the English translation of the statement released by SM Entertainment on November 22.
The management agency went on to say that it takes tremendous culpability for its artists' poor management, even before their debut, and they apologized to their fans once more. Furthermore, SM Entertainment stated that the images and videos that are presently being leaked and shared without authorization have been purposefully edited again to create confusion.
"We feel great responsibility for being negligent in managing our artists even before their debut. We apologize once again to our fans. The videos and photos that are currently being leaked and distributed without permission have been reproduced several times to cause misunderstanding through intentional secondary editing."
SM Entertainment further added that they have gathered a substantial quantity of proof and have pinpointed the individual who released the material without authorization. The company declared that they intended to file an official complaint with the local police department.
"We have collected a significant amount of evidence and identified the person who leaked and distributed the information without permission. We plan to submit a complaint to the local police station.”
However, fans are absolutely distraught over Seunghan's hiatus for an indefinite time as mentioned in the statement by SM Entertainment. They expressed their views on X and criticized SM Entertainment for reprimanding Seunghan who "didn't do anything wrong" as per @brighterlove_.
Here's what others said:
RIIZE's Seunghan issued a handwritten apology letter immediately after his hiatus announcement
Following the announcement of his temporary hiatus, Seunghan of RIIZE published a handwritten apology letter on Weverse. He pledged to concentrate on improving himself and expressed regret for worrying his fans in the letter. He claimed to have been really introspective and to be fully aware of the harm his previous reckless acts had caused to several individuals. He wrote,
"Hello, this is Seunghan. First of all, I would like to say that I am very sorry. I know very well that my careless actions from the past are now hurting many people. I am sincerely reflecting on myself. I want to apologize to the fans who have supported me and the RIIZE members."
He continued by saying in his apology letter, that he wanted to apologize to the members of RIIZE and his fans. After giving himself a serious evaluation and realizing how much harm he had caused, the singer reiterated, saying that he ought to have been working harder than ever and concentrating on his duties. He wrote,
"I am deeply reflecting on myself and the fact that I have caused so much damage at a time when I should have been working harder than ever and focusing on what I need to do. I will continue to reflect and look deeper into myself so that I can become a better person. Once again, I apologize to the members, fans, and staff."
Seunghen issued an apology earlier as well, when in August his personal photos went viral.
Meanwhile, fans noticed that the highlight post of the idol had been removed from the official Instagram account of RIIZE. This has further made his fans outraged as they condemn SM Entertainment's decision.
