K-pop fans were all bombarded with the unexpected news that Hong Seunghan (홍승한), a member of the K-pop group RIIZE (라이즈), will be officially leaving his group. Prior to this, almost a year ago, SM Entertainment announced that Seunghan would be taking a break from all RIIZE’s activities due to certain controversies to reflect on his behaviour, without any further updates from the label.
As fans may already know, photos and videos of the idol’s past began circulating online in August last year, resulting in his halt in music activities with the group, and unfortunately, the incidents continued to emerge. Here are the incidents that prompted his departure from RIIZE:
Pre-debut photos with his former girlfriend
An incident that happened in August last year was the beginning cause of Seunghan’s year-long hiatus. Images blew up online showing a pre-debut Seunghan kissing a woman in bed, which was said to have happened in a hotel.
The unidentified woman, who was allegedly his then-girlfriend, sparked outrage among fans, who deemed his actions inappropriate since both individuals were said to be underage at the time the picture was taken. Many demanded his removal from RIIZE. After the incident, the idol apologised for the leaked photos, and SM claimed that he would be taking a break to reflect on the disappointment and damage he caused to his team.
IG Live with TXT’s (투모로우바이투게더) Soobin (수빈)
Around November last year, a second incident occurred when a mistranslation during an Instagram Live session put Seunghan and TXT’s leader, Soobin, under fire. The two idols were accused of mocking LE SSERAFIM’s (르세라핌) member Hong Eunchae (홍은채) during the joint broadcast on their private accounts.
The private live session, viewed by only 4 people, somehow leaked online. K-netizens cleared the confusion by correctly translating the Live, reassuring that neither made fun of the LE SSERAFIM member; instead, it was just a casual conversation between the two, and Eunchae’s name popped into the conversation as part of a joke.
Past photos and footage of Seunghan illegally smoking
Seunghan’s name returned to the spotlight due to another incident that went viral in the same month. Clips and images circulated online, showing the young idol smoking a cigarette, as an underage trainee, illegally on the streets of Japan. The leaked video drew widespread criticism from RIIZE fans, who deemed his behaviour indecent.
Response to Seunghan’s rejoining RIIZE group activities
It was announced last week (Friday, 11th October), that Seunghan would be rejoining the group soon. While many fans rejoiced at the news, some disagreed with the company’s statement and expressed their discontent by sending funeral flower wreaths in protest of SM Entertainment’s decision. Reports emerged that Seunghan appeared devastated as he walked past the wreaths outside the company.
On another occasion, fans claimed to have seen him at a subway station in Korea. To move past the unforgettable funeral wreaths, he was spotted walking along and reading supportive fan letters that had been left for him in light of his rejoining RIIZE.
Two days later, SM Entertainment released a notice claiming that Seunghan would be leaving the group of his own will. It is said that the idol made this decision for the sake of his group members as well as his fans. In the statement, it is said that the singer apologised for all the damage and trouble that was caused to the other members.
As of now, with Seunghan’s unexpected departure from RIIZE, the K-pop boy group will continue promoting their music as a 6-member group.
Source: Koreaboo(1)(2)(3), Hindustan Times(1)(2)
Tiana contributed to this article.
