Seunghan’s return to RIIZE ends in controversy, fans demand his removal
RIIZE’s Seunghan sparked major backlash after his announced comeback to the group less than a year after going on hiatus. In November 2023, Seunghan took a break from promotions. When SM Entertainment revealed he would rejoin activities recently, protests erupted worldwide.
Fans and K-Pop communities pushed hard against his return. This led to Seunghan leaving RIIZE again within two days.
The backlash didn’t stop there. K-Pop stores across the globe joined a boycott, refusing to stock new RIIZE albums in solidarity with fans. The group’s social media presence took a huge hit.
On X, RIIZE’s followers plunged from 810,978 to 770,532 after Seunghan’s exit. TikTok followers dropped by 47,648 from 3,543,847 to 3,496,199. Instagram followers fell from 4.17 million down to 3.96 million.
Despite the steep loss, RIIZE’s digital numbers are rebounding. X followers climbed back to 798,000. TikTok is up to 3.8 million followers. Instagram surpassed its previous count after recovering well.
Still, some fans continue boycotting SM Entertainment over the issue.
Meanwhile, it was announced that Seunghan is set to debut as a solo artist soon.
K-Pop Stores Worldwide Join RIIZE Boycott
Former RIIZE’s Seunghan To Debut As A Solo Artist
