In a significant development, SM Entertainment announced on the 22nd that Seunghan from RIIZE will take an indefinite break from his activities. The announcement follows a series of controversies involving the leaks of his private life on social media and online communities.
“Seunghan deeply regrets and reflects on causing disappointment and confusion to the team, members, and fans with the issues related to his personal life that have been unlawfully leaked and spread online,” the agency stated. “Feeling a heavy burden and responsibility, he has decided to halt his activities for the team’s sake after much deliberation.”
This controversy first surfaced in August, just before Seunghan’s debut, when photos of him in bed kissing a woman were leaked, sparking a heated debate. Despite SM’s immediate announcement of a strong legal response, the situation escalated as edited versions of photos and videos spread online. More recently, Seunghan faced further turmoil due to leaked footage of his conversation with TXT’s Soobin and an underage smoking photo from his time in Japan.
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The agency acknowledged the complexity of the situation, stating, “Considering the circumstances, we believe it is difficult to continue activities. We respect Seunghan’s decision not to cause further harm to the team and members, and have thus decided to suspend his activities indefinitely. As a result, RIIZE will continue with six members starting today.”
SM also expressed regret over their handling of the situation, stating, “We feel a significant responsibility for the negligence in management. We deeply apologize to the fans.”
In response to the unauthorized leaks, the agency is taking a firm legal stance. “We have identified the distributor and plan to submit a complaint to the police this afternoon,” they revealed. “We are also considering additional legal actions against the identified individual for defamation, cybercrimes, and threats resulting from the unauthorized leaks and distributions.” They firmly concluded, “In addition to filing the complaint, we plan to take a strong stance against any secondary harmful actions without any settlement or leniency.”
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