On October 13, 2024, Seunghan was officially removed from the K-pop group RIIZE, following which Super Junior’s Leeteuk expressed his support for the singer. The Super Junior leader retweeted a post by X user @itsxelf_, which was in support of RIIZE’s former member Seunghan. The reposted tweet read:
“What happened to RIIZE’s Seunghan and the group as a whole is heartbreaking. And it’s extremely unfortunate how SM and even artists in general always prioritize Korean fans' wishes, which is actually just a reminder that nothing changes, it happened to Henry Lau in 2007 and it’s still happening today.”
For the uninitiated, Seunghan was expelled from RIIZE due to fan backlash, after photos of him with his purported ex-girlfriend and smoking cigarettes leaked online. Therefore, the idol's fans, who were upset with his removal, swamped the internet with appreciation for Super Junior’s Leeteuk, who showed his support for the former RIIZE member. Expressing this sentiment, one user on X stated:
“leeteuk retweeted...... this speaks volume lmao.”
Several other responses to the retweet by Super Junior’s Leeteuk were seen online, as many said that Leeteuk understands the situation well.
“Leeteuk understands the situation, because his groupmates have also been treated like this, but let's make a miracle, we must be able to fight those who don't appreciate RIIZE,” commented a fan.
“I so wish this could create like a domino effect where idols just come in solidarity,” said another admirer.
“Any human with a healthy soul would not be able to bear to see the bullying that Seunghan experienced. Thank you Leeteuk,” stated a fan.
While many fans demanded that more SM Entertainment members raise their voices, another referred to him as the ‘leader of idols in SM.’
“I need more senior artists at SM to do just this: Voice their support of Seunghan. They know first hand just how horrible SM and their management is. It’s unfortunate that Rii7e is still a younger group, otherwise this would all have played out differently,” commented an X user.
“I am absolutely not surprised by Leeteuk retweeting this (or having his team do this). As a leader of his group and one of the “elder” statesmen of the company…. Not surprising at all,” expressed another admirer.
“If the leader reposted this, that means he saw it and everything else. That also means other SM artists saw it as well. I just know they're tired of SM's BS which is why many left the company. This speaks volume,” another fan reacted.
"Everyone in SM called and acknowledged Leeteuk as the leader of idols in SM for a reason,” a fan wrote.
SM Entertainment mentioned Seunghan's reinstatement before his definitive expulsion from RIIZE
RIIZE debuted in September 2023, and in November 2023, Seunghan went on a break. The hiatus commenced following multiple allegations of Seunghan's misconduct, including photographs of him with his alleged ex-girlfriend, smoking cigarettes, and pictures of explicit chats with acquaintances, which attracted significant attention in Korea.
On October 11, 2024, SM Entertainment and its subsidiary Wizard Production, which manages RIIZE, issued a statement indicating that Seunghan will progressively resume participation in the group's activities, following the end of his suspension.
Although numerous followers expressed enthusiasm at the idol's comeback, a segment of supporters condemned the announcement and demonstrated their discontent with his reintegration into RIIZE. Finally, the singer parted ways with the group on October 13, 2024.
As highlighted in Leeteuk’s repost, something similar happened with a former member of Super Junior, Henry Lau. Henry and Zhoumi were formally introduced in 2008 as members of Super Junior-M, a subgroup of Super Junior. The two were exclusive members of this sub-unit. However, Henry was effectively sidelined for years because of his exclusion from the main Super Junior roster.
This was linked to protests regarding Super Junior's classification as a project group. Following Henry's initial performance with Super Junior in 2007, supporters vehemently opposed the potential inclusion of other members in the group, employing severe tactics in their protests like chanting, ‘Henry Out.’ Finally, in 2018, Henry left the sub-unit after his contract expired with SM Entertainment.