Friday’s announcement comes weeks after Seunghan’s departure from Riize two days after he was reinstated into the group, following an 11-month-long hiatus.
Past photos of Seunghan smoking and kissing a woman, before he debuted as an idol, had been leaked to the public in late 2023 which led to immense backlash from some fans.
At the time, Seunghan opted to pause his activities “for the sake of Riize”.
In October 2024, following the announcement that Seunghan would be returning to Riize, fans who were disgruntled by the news expressed their displeasure by sending protest trucks and funeral wreaths – bearing hateful messages and death threats to Seunghan – outside SM Entertainment’s headquarters.
As such, Seunghan elected to permanently leave Riize.
However, the actions of fans who called for Seunghan’s removal – as well as SM Entertainment’s handling of the situation – received criticism from many in the international K-pop community. Many K-pop stores worldwide even temporarily halted restocks of Riize’s albums and merchandise in solidarity with fans who support Riize as a group of seven members.
