{"id":88803,"date":"2024-06-21T18:05:47","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T22:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2024\/06\/21\/what-happened-to-riizes-seventh-member-seunghan-the-groups-controversy-explained\/"},"modified":"2024-06-21T18:05:47","modified_gmt":"2024-06-21T22:05:47","slug":"what-happened-to-riizes-seventh-member-seunghan-the-groups-controversy-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2024\/06\/21\/what-happened-to-riizes-seventh-member-seunghan-the-groups-controversy-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"What Happened to RIIZE\u2019s Seventh Member, Seunghan? The Group\u2019s Controversy\u00a0Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tRIIZE rightfully has been recognized<\/a> as a potential next-generation leader in K-pop\u2019s ongoing international crossover, in large part thanks to its refreshing embrace of approachability. But the way its label, K-pop giant SM Entertainment, has handled a controversy involving one of the group\u2019s original members has provided a high-stakes window into the ongoing tension between South Korean artists balancing the demands of international careers with the country\u2019s more traditional, accepted social norms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"RIIZE<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tOn the RIIZE: Meet K-Pop’s New, Down to Earth\u00a0Stars\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tWhen SM introduced RIIZE\u2019s lineup in July 2023 via 27 casual Instagram photos that wouldn\u2019t look out of place on any influencer\u2019s page, it set a bar for how its seven members \u2013 Shotaro<\/strong>, Eunseok<\/strong>, Sungchan<\/strong>, Wonbin<\/strong>, Seunghan<\/strong>, Sohee<\/strong> and Anton<\/strong> \u2013 intended to connect with fans online in a relatable way; as Eunseok explained it during RIIZE\u2019s interview in Los Angeles for Billboard<\/em>\u2019s recent digital cover story<\/a>, the group wanted to share \u201ca lot of pictures of our daily life and intimate [moments] on social media.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBut only six members of RIIZE participated in the cover. Interviews for the piece occurred almost exactly six months after SM announced that Seunghan would \u201chalt activities\u201d with RIIZE following an August 2023 leak of private, pre-RIIZE photos and videos that showed him kissing an unidentified woman in a bed and smoking a cigarette. Though tame by Western standards, the content went viral in South Korea, a country which has undergone rapid modernization but remains socially conservative \u2014 values that extend to the parasocial relationships fans have with South Korean music stars. Some fans condemned Seunghan\u2019s actions \u2013 which they deemed inappropriate for a K-pop idol \u2013 and protested for his removal even before the highly anticipated boy band\u2019s debut.<\/p>\n

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