“Leave The Group”: Korean Netizens React To RIIZE Seunghan’s Recent Apology

RIIZE‘s Seunghan has recently found himself in the eye of a storm, facing controversy over leaked personal photographs. Netizens recently unveiled intimate pictures of Seunghan and his then-girlfriend in bed together, kissing, leading to massive public scrutiny.

This revelation comes at a particularly critical time for Seunghan and his group, RIIZE — who are on the cusp of their debut — making the issue all the more sensitive.

In a bid to manage the growing public outcry, Seunghan issued a heartfelt apology via RIIZE’s official Instagram account. He expressed his deep regret for causing damage to the group’s reputation at such a crucial juncture.

I have caused damage to our group due to my personal matters, and I have also disappointed both the company staff and our members.

— RIIZE’s Seunghan

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A post shared by RIIZE (@riize_official)

He also vowed to make RIIZE his priority and promised to be more careful in the future. Seunghan seemed genuine in his efforts to convey his sincerity and remorse to both the group and the fans.

Backing their artist, SM Entertainment also released a statement on the situation. The company highlighted their stance against the unauthorized leakage and distribution of private media, labeling such acts as “clearly illegal.” In their statement, they asserted that they would be taking strict legal action against those who posted and disseminated the pictures.

The online community has had a myriad of reactions to this controversy. While some netizens empathized with Seunghan, considering his age and the gravity of the situation, many believed that his departure from the group would be the most appropriate action, especially since RIIZE hasn’t officially debuted yet.

The overall sentiment from the comments indicates a division among netizens. Some argue that given the lack of evidence pointing to the girlfriend being underage, Seunghan shouldn’t have felt the need to apologize so profusely.

SEUNGHAN WE LOVE YOU#WeLoveYouSeunghan #승한아_잘하고_있어요 #RIIZE @RIIZE_official
pic.twitter.com/bK244CxTa5

— riize pics (@riizepics) August 30, 2023

On the other hand, many are of the opinion that such controversies, especially before an official debut, could cast a lasting shadow on the group’s future endeavors and that the best option might be for Seunghan to leave.

• “If only they uploaded the notice of complaint faster…Then they’d all be thrown out, including the people who kept claiming minor and posting photos everywhere without knowing their age”
• “He shouldn’t need to apologize to us, but it’s right to apologize to the company and the fans. He could change completely after experiencing this.. It’s just how I feel”
• “It’s pretty dumb how there was no evidence that she was underage but people caused a fit after seeing one person say that the girlfriend was underage”
• “Omg.. If they had already debuted, it would’ve been easier to apologize and move on instead of kicking him out, but since they haven’t debuted yet, I think it’d be cleaner to just kick him outㅜㅜ It’s such a turn off”
• “I think it’ll be better for the group image to cut him out since they haven’t officially debuted yet, but I wonder if it’s different for the members who trained with him…”
• “The group’s only just starting, take him out…”
• “But is it true that she was underage? It was just spread on [forums]. Since we did we base truth on [forums]? What if you get sued?”

• “So SM is basically saying they’re going to keep him. What can we do”
• “What?? He’s not leaving???”
• “She wasn’t underage, so why is he apologizing..? wth…”
• “I think it’ll be better to just kick him out.. He stood out to me because he was my type, but now, whenever I see him, I only see that photo. This was too big of an issue for a newly debuted idol to carry on with.”
• “Wth… If you’re gonna ignore it, just straight out ignore it. If you’re going to write an apology letter, clarify if she was underage or not.”
• “Kids like him are always gonna cause trouble againㅋㅋ”
• “Leave the group”