K-Pop star Seunghan to permanently leave RIIZE
Seunghan of RIIZE is permanently leaving the group just days after announcing his return from hiatus, his agency announced on Sunday.
Directors Kim Hyung Guk and Lee Sang Min of Wizard Production, the division in SM Entertainment that handles RIIZE, shared on X the reason behind Seunghan’s decision.
“Seunghan has consistently expressed his desire to leave the group for the sake of the members and the fans. Out of respect for the artist’s decision, we are announcing Seunghan’s departure from RIIZE instead of his joining the group," the directors said in a statement as translated by Korean entertainment news site Soompi.
The management said they debated the decision for a long time, thinking that if the 21-year-old returned from hiatus after “reflecting on his past wrongdoings” alongside RIIZE’s growth as a group.
"We ruminated carefully on each and every one of the opinions and responses sent in by fans, and we realized that our decision had actually hurt fans more and caused them greater confusion instead,” said Wizard Production.
The same night of his management’s announcement, Seunghan posted a handwritten letter on Weverse explaining his decision.
In the letter, he said he had “pondered deeply” on many factors before coming up with his decision, but it only made him feel “worried and apologetic.”
“I think that my leaving the group is the right path for everyone. I don’t want to cause any more hurt or confusion for the fans, and I don’t want to harm the members any further, and I also don’t want to hurt the company any further,” he said.
“I truly do not want the relationship between RIIZE and BRIIZE, who were growing together while supporting one another, to be damaged because of me. It also breaks my heart to see the fans, for whom it should be more than enough to just love RIIZE, fighting with each other because of me.”
The Wizard Production apologized to the fans for the confusion and pain the recent announcements have caused.
“We sincerely apologize for hurting BRIIZE [RIIZE’s fandom] and causing confusion through our announcement of Seunghan’s return on October 11,” it said.
Seunghan and his management expressed their utmost support to the other members of RIIZE and their future endeavors.
Seunghan debuted in September 2023 before going on an indefinite hiatus two months later.
Private photos and videos of him smoking in public and kissing an unidentified woman that were taken before his debut prompted his hiatus after backlash from conservative fans in South Korea.
RIIZE will continue as a six-piece group with Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Sohee, and Anton.