Why is 'SM PROTECT RIIZE' trending on X? Fans concerned as Anton and Sohee's private pictures surface on the internet

On Sunday, March 10, fans began to trend the keyword 'SM PROTECT RIIZE' following the leak Anton and Sohee's pictures.

This began when a photo of Anton allegedly holding hands with a girl landed on the internet, sparking dating rumors amongst netizens. Soon after this, an old image of Sohee allegedly kissing a boy on the cheek also surfaced on the internet.

With two controversies landing one after the other, fans were naturally concerned about the idols' privacy being invaded. Since these pictures may affect Anton and Sohee's public image and create a scandal around the same, fans were worried about the potential backlash they may face.

After brief research, many fans found the X accounts that leaked and are currently spreading the two images on the internet, and are currently actively reporting these accounts.

Following the incident, fans have been defending the two idols and demanding that SM Entertainment protect their artists better by managing these leaks and violations of privacy.

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Fans angered as private pictures of RIIZE's Anton and Sohee land on the internet

On March 10, an anonymous X account, @zpqkfkekfnk posted a picture of RIIZE's Anton allegedly holding hands with a New Jersey girl. Though the idol's face wasn't fully visible in the picture, the netizen stated that it was surely Anton and the girl he was holding hands with was his date. Here's the caption they added to the now-deleted X post:

"Our dear Anton. When the fans were getting a bit frustrated over the fact that he didn’t show up once to Weverse while on vacation, Anton was out and about doing this. Haha. And the fans thought he had lost his cell phone while he was in NJ… LOL. RIIZE members are the same. Had (she) been his mother, his named fansites would’ve uploaded this photo first. Haha. You all don’t think this is Anton? You don’t want to believe it?"

Leaked image of RIIZE's Anton (Image via X/@zpqkfkekfnk)

Following this X post, another X account, @BBOSONGEEEEE uploaded a post revealing information about the woman in the image. They posted screenshots of their DMs with someone else on the internet, checking if the girl spotted with RIIZE's Anton was a celebrity or not.

The post stated that the girl was from New Jersey and while some fans thought it was his mother, the netizen confirmed that it's not Anton's mom, adding:

"I checked her face. She’s a girl who lives in New Jersey. It’s not Mama Shim Hye Jin (Anton’s mom) for sure. She’s a non-celeb, so I cannot reveal her face."

Soon after this picture reveal, the idol began to garner criticism over not being active with his fans or spending time on Weverse. He was called out for allegedly using his vacation to go on dates rather than concentrating on his career or fans.

However, fans defended the idol, stating that he can choose to spend his vacation as per his wishes and his private schedules and this shouldn't be used for criticism. Many also stated that the image revealed stands as a violation of Anton's privacy and the idol is practically the victim in this situation.

However, soon after this controversy landed, another image of Sohee was leaked, causing more stir among netizens.

The same X account, @BBOSONGEEEEE, released an old picture of Sohee allegedly kissing a boy on the cheek. This image also caused quite a debate among netizens as people raised allegations and speculations about the RIIZE member's sexuality.

With two controversies landing on the internet one after the other, fans have been worried about the idols' invasion of privacy.

With Seunghan already entering a hiatus due to the backslash he faced from his previous controversies, fans are hoping that Anton and Sohee don't fall victim to the same.

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Fans are now demanding that SM Entertainment protect RIIZE artists and take legal action against those who invade the members' privacy.