Seunghan Surprisingly Quits RIIZE Days After Label Confirms His Return

Mere days after SM Entertainment announced Seunghan’s return to RIIZE to complete the septet once more, the K-pop star did a complete u-turn and quit the group. And fans can’t help but wonder if there is some bitter waters stirring beneath the surface.

Seunghan Bids Goodbye To RIIZE In Emotional Statement After Confirming His Return

Seunghan was one happy K-pop star when SM Entertainment decided to keep him after months of review.

Controversies first engulfed the 21-year-old K-pop vocalist when “inappropriate” pictures of him made its ways online during the band’s pre-debut era. In the pics, he is seen smoking with an unknown woman.

This didn’t sit well with South Korea’s social climate, leading the label to postpone his involvement in group activities “indefinitely.” Later on, he would garner the support of fans by receiving 20,000 signatures on a petition to bring him back to the group.

On Thursday, Oct. 10, SM Entertainment announced his return, with the group’s producers Wizard Production confirming it. It was a welcome surprise for some fans. However, the surprise was a short-lived one, as Seunghan released a handwritten statement 3 days later to confirm that he has quit the group.

“I think that my leaving the group is the right path for everyone. I don’t want to cause any more hurt or confusion for the fans, and I don’t want to harm the members any further, and I also don’t want to hurt the company any further,” he said on the letter shared on Weverse.

“I truly do not want the relationship between RIIZE and BRIIZE, who were growing together while supporting one another, to be damaged because of me. It also breaks my heart to see the fans, for whom it should be more than enough to just love RIIZE, fighting with each other because of me.”

The Wizard Production followed this up by apologizing to fans for causing confusion with their prior announcement. “We sincerely apologize for hurting BRIIZE [RIIZE’s fandom] and causing confusion through our announcement of Seunghan’s return on October 11,” it said.

What Seunghan Has Said About His Return To RIIZE

When the announcement was originally put out, Seunghan was ready to dance a different tone, sharing his enthusiasm to get to perform with the group once more.

He said at the time, “I am determined to work even harder and do better because of the trust placed in me. I will strive to be a good member who takes responsibility and does not tarnish the achievements the members have built up. I want to become a necessary presence to the team RIIZE.”

He further added: “Once again, I want to apologize to the members and company staff who made the difficult decision and to the fans who must have been shocked. I will work more diligently and responsibly in the future.”

So what changed in three days?

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