Seunghan’s shocking exit from K-pop band RIIZE has sparked a new wave of activism among fans across the board. With international fans questioning the toxic standards of “perfection” set for idols to meet, the latest move has, in some ways, sparked a much-needed discussion about the unfair “bullying” and cancel culture established by parts of the fandom. Have started the conversation.
With fans emphasizing that the issue is no longer limited to RIIZE’s future, but to the K-pop industry at large, fans around the world are calling on the group’s agency to be held accountable for “supporting” bullying and A boycott campaign has been started to immediately bow down to this. Mistreatment of artists, who are human beings after all.
US-based K-pop retailers and other global stores have stopped restocking RIIZE albums and merchandise
Global K-pop retailers have joined with fans in response to Seunghan’s unexplained departure from the group. In a show of solidarity with ‘OT7’ enthusiasts, many US-based sellers of K-pop merchandise have temporarily stopped importing and restocking RIIZE albums and other merchandise. Subkshop, a major retail player in the K-pop sales business in the US who also ships worldwide, issued a statement on Wednesday, October 16.
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In an effort to pressure SM Entertainment to listen to fans’ urgent appeals, the store wrote, “In light of recent events, we decided to temporarily stop the import of RIIZE products out of respect for our customers, fans and Is. artist. Existing orders will still be fulfilled, previously purchased inventory will remain in place and future sales will be reevaluated as the situation evolves. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.”
Another US shop, Lightupshop, wrote on Twitter, “After careful consideration, Lightupke has decided to pause RIIZE restocks for the time being. This decision does not affect existing stock we have on hand, nor does it affect any existing pre-orders.” Evepink, a popular Texas-based store, responded to a fan’s concerns on the matter, revealing that, They, too, have “decided to stop restocking RIIZE albums and merchandise.”
Similarly, He!HallyU, a Dutch K-pop store, announced on social media, “Due to some Korean fans’ targeted harassment towards Seunghan, he is no longer a member of RIIZE. We regret that SM Entertainment, once again, has not been able to protect its artist.
Additionally, Nola, a European shop, also followed suit: “We stand firmly against bullying and harmful behavior of any kind, including toxic fan culture. We believe in fostering a safe and supportive environment for all artists and fans alike.
Intentions to ‘RIIZE Boycott’ draw attention to trending tags like ‘#SMStandsforBullying’
Through this effort to “hit their wallets”, K-pop fans have united under one banner, and are urging the reinstatement of the OT7 RIIZE brand. With this move, RIIZE’s sales under SM Entertainment are expected to decline significantly. However, K-pop lovers insist that this dramatic change should not be misinterpreted as the fact that they have severed ties with the group’s current six members: Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Sohee, and Anton.
They firmly believe that it is not the hidden card in the boycott deck that will finally get their voices heard over South Korean labels that are otherwise pandering to international fans while hypocritically dismissing their groups by marketing them as “global” brands. . Serious requests of consumers of the same market. The initial steps of the boycott included fans unfollowing RIIZE’s official SNS platforms including Instagram, X/Twitter and others, while stopping streaming parties of their music and video content on Spotify, YouTube and other such platforms.
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Seunghan, a 21-year-old singer, originally debuted as part of the seven-piece boy group RIIZE under the banner of Wizard Production, SM Entertainment’s act managing division. Within months of their debut, they pulled themselves out of the group’s activities after a 10-month ban was imposed on them after a scandal broke.
What was the controversy related to Seunghan?
The frenzy over the country’s conservative background captured K-netizens, who were dissatisfied after seeing leaked private images of the singer, giving a glimpse of his pre-debut days. Countless posts and photos circulated online, focused on an unidentified woman, who was his alleged girlfriend at the time, who was in bed with him. In the pictures that surfaced after this, he was also captured smoking a cigarette.
Nevertheless, as international fans anticipated and waited for their comeback, SM Entertainment announced their highly anticipated return to the group on October 11. Shortly thereafter, a group of local Korean fans protested the move and inappropriately sent 1,000 funeral wreaths. His permanent departure from the group. Within two days of the announcement, previously cheered by international Bridges, the agency put an end to their sigh of relief and Seunghan’s fate in the band, and announced that he would no longer be rejoining the group.
wonbin’s letter
Shortly after the initial announcement of Seunghan’s comeback, fellow bandmate Wonbin addressed the issue via a waiver letter. He emphasized that this decision collectively reflects RIIZE’s intentions to reunite with Seunghan, “I’m worried that you guys will struggle more and get confused if the members don’t say a word or do anything. thing, so, I’m writing this after the conversation we had with the members,” the 22-year-old wrote. “I’m sure many of you have wondered whether Seunghan Whether he was coming back or not, or why there was no clear answer quickly… We, Seunghan and company talked about it for a really long time. ,
He further said, “I hope you will realize that members have come together on this and thought about it again and again, and thought deeply about it. I have always wanted to make all my BRIIZEs happy, but I regret that I am unable to do so… I know this post will not be able to erase all your worries, but I hope it will clear up your confusion. Can remove. , even a little bit,” according to Billboard’s translation.
Unfortunately, his post was also removed from RIIZE’s fan community forum after SM Entertainment retracted their statement.
