After almost a year of absence, the seventh member of the K-pop group RIIZE will be reuniting with his bandmates.
The official social media accounts of RIIZE announced that Seunghan will gradually participate in select group activities beginning in November, marking a much-anticipated but controversial return.
Beginning in August 2023, Seunghan's hiatus stemmed from the young star's pre-debut photos and videos that were leaked and caused backlash in South Korea's more conservative social climate. The images showed Seunghan in a bed with an unknown woman and smoking a cigarette, leading some fans to label his actions as unbecoming of a K-pop idol and demand his removal from RIIZE. Last November, the group's record label, SM Entertainment, announced that Seunghan would be “suspending activities indefinitely” while considering his behavior without further updates from the label, in a decision that left fans and insiders industry are forced to speculate about its future.
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The controversy surrounding Seunghan's comeback reflected the broader tension between the global aspirations of K-pop artists and the expectations placed on them by domestic audiences. While RIIZE has gained international recognition for its music and the group's authentic approach to social media and connecting fans — highlighted in Bulletin board digital cover touting them as “K-pop stars on the rise” last June — Seunghan's situation underscores the pressure international idols increasingly face to maintain traditional values in a rapidly modernizing industry.
In the statement, SM Entertainment acknowledged both Seunghan's personal growth during his absence and the label's internal thinking regarding the timing of his comeback. While many fans will welcome his reappearance (if online petition requesting its return had 20,000 signatures), the decision to rejoin him in RIIZE marks a pivotal moment in how the group will navigate its future trajectory both domestically and abroad, and potentially how the K-pop industry can deal with more seamlessly the controversies of culture clashes.
Seunghan followed up the statement with a handwritten letter uploaded to RIIZE's Weverse account, in which he apologized to his fans, the company, and the band's friends. The 21-year-old shared that he questioned his future as a musician, but pointed out that the members of RIIZE Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Sohee and Anton it really hit him.
“Because I caused so much frustration, I kept having more realistic thoughts like, 'Will I be able to stand on stage again?'” she wrote. “During this time, the members held my hand once again. It must have been a very difficult decision, and I am filled with nothing but gratitude and forgiveness for giving me another chance. I know there is so much to show to the members who took me back by the hand, to the fans who worry that the achievements made in my absence may be tarnished, and to the company that made the difficult decision. Of course, I feel a burden and fear about it.”
Earlier today (Oct. 10), RIIZE released the “KENZIE RE:WORKS” remix of their pre-release buzz single “Memories,” ahead of the septet's official September 2023 debut.
Read the full statement below (with translation provided via Soompi):
In the BREEZE [RIIZE’s fandom] who love RIIZE,
Hello, this is Wizard Production, who is in charge of production for RIIZE. We would like to carefully make a statement regarding the return of member Seunghan and the direction of RIIZE's future activities.
As fans know, it has been about 10 months since Seunghan stopped group activities due to problems with his personal life before debut.
Seunghan recognizes that his previous actions were wrong and has currently stopped his activities for almost a year while he deeply reflects [on his actions] and feeling sorry for the other members and his fans. We also recognized that Seunghan's past actions were not appropriate as an artist, which is why it took us a long time to discuss the timing of his return to activities.
Since there was no announcement regarding Seunghan's activities, fans went beyond curiosity to worry and concern, and we sympathized with those feelings. But as we continued to discuss the matter from various angles, [our decision took some time]and we sincerely apologize for only now telling you our decision regarding the direction of RIIZE's future activities.
We poured our heart and soul into planning RIIZE even before their debut, and we've decided that the next chapter of RIIZE would be even more meaningful if all seven members were together. Therefore, after numerous discussions with the staff and members regarding the direction of the group's future activities, it has been decided that Seunghan will return to the group. After joining the group and preparing for a certain period of time, we plan for Seunghan to gradually participate in some of the group's planned activities for November and greet fans once again.
Even during his hiatus, Seunghan has consistently worked to develop his skills, and as he still has a lot to show you in the future, we hope you'll look up to him.
Once again, we sincerely apologize for causing confusion and difficulty to fans who have been watching and cheering for the development of RIIZE. However, as RIIZE is a group that aims to rise and realize their dreams together, the members consider the group as their first priority and, even at this time, are working hard to practice. [for their future activities]. We ask that you trust our decision so that we can properly show fans a seven-member RIIZE.
We are sure that many people are curious about what the next chapter of RIIZE will be, how far they will rise, what kind of dreams they harbor and how they will realize those dreams in the future. Because we, the people who are closest to RIIZE and who are passionate fans of RIIZE ourselves, are also looking forward to the next chapter of RIIZE.
We will continue to work hard in the future to pay back [the fans] with the wonderful music and performances of RIIZE while sharing the dreams of the members. We ask that you stay with the members and share all the moments of ascension and realization that will continue to unfold in the future.
Seunghan's Weverse Letter (via Soompi):
Hi, this is Seunghan.
First of all, I want to sincerely apologize to the members and fans. When my pre-debut photos were released, even though they were my photos, I was deeply disappointed and felt sorry for myself. If I felt that way too, I can't even imagine how the members and fans who were next to me must have felt.
You must have been angry, shocked and disappointed. I am truly sorry to the fans who supported us from the beginning, which was such a critical time, and to those who were hurt by my immature actions. I also feel sorry for the members, with whom I had to work hard to move forward together, which led to the sudden suspension of my activities. I want to apologize to everyone who had to endure and overcome this situation. I felt both sorry for the situation and a sense of despair that I could not be with everyone.
Because I caused so much frustration, I kept having more realistic thoughts like, “Am I going to be able to stand on stage again? Can I keep making music?'
During this time, the members held my hand once again. It must have been a very difficult decision, and I am filled with nothing but gratitude and forgiveness for giving me another chance.
I know I have so much to show to the members who took me by the hand again, to the fans who are worried that the achievements made in my absence may be tarnished, and to the company that made the difficult decision. Of course, I feel weight and fear about this aspect.
However, I am determined to work even harder and do better because of the trust shown in me.
I will try to be a good member who takes responsibility and does not tarnish the achievements that members have created. I want to become an indispensable presence in the RIZE team.
Once again, I want to apologize to the members and staff of the company who made the difficult decision and to the fans who must have been shocked. I will work more diligently and responsibly in the future.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/riize-seunghan-return-from-hiatus-1235798496/
