On October 11th, Korean media outlet SWAY reported that RIIZE’s Seunghan will be removed from the group after 10 months. The outlet then deleted the article, rousing speculations.
However, SM Entertainment later issued an official statement, refuting the departure and announcing Seunghan’s return.
The full statement is as below:
“To all BRIIZE (fans of RIIZE) who love RIIZE,
Hello, this is Wizard Production, the team responsible for producing RIIZE.
We would like to carefully share news with fans regarding Seunghan’s return and the direction of RIIZE’s future activities.
As many of you know, due to personal issues before debut, Seunghan has been on hiatus from team activities for about 10 months.
Seunghan has admitted that his past actions were wrong, and he has deeply reflected on them, feeling immense regret and sorrow toward both the members and fans. He has been on a nearly year-long hiatus. We, too, acknowledged that Seunghan’s past actions were not befitting of an artist, and thus the decision-making process regarding his return has taken a long time.
We sincerely apologize for not providing more information regarding Seunghan’s activities earlier, which led to concern and worry among fans. However, after much deliberation from various perspectives, we are now finally able to share our decision on the future direction of RIIZE’s activities.
We determined that the next chapter of RIIZE, which has been meticulously planned since before debut, would be even more meaningful when all seven members are together. After numerous discussions with the members and relevant staff about the team’s future, we have decided that Seunghan will rejoin the group. Seunghan will go through a preparation period after rejoining, and he will gradually participate in some of the team’s scheduled activities starting in November to greet fans once again.
Even during his hiatus, Seunghan has worked diligently to hone his skills, and he has much more to show going forward. We kindly ask that you watch over him with warmth and understanding.
We once again apologize to all the fans who have supported RIIZE’s growth for the confusion and difficulty caused by this situation. However, RIIZE is a team that grows together and works to realize their dreams, and the members have consistently placed the team as their highest priority, continuing to practice hard even now. We ask for your trust in our decision to present RIIZE as a team of seven members.
We are confident that many of you are curious about what the next chapter for RIIZE will be, how much more they will grow, what dreams they are working toward, and how they will achieve them. As the ones closest to RIIZE and as their biggest fans, we, too, are eagerly looking forward to RIIZE’s next chapter.
We will continue to work alongside the members, sharing the same dreams, to deliver great music and wonderful performances from RIIZE. We kindly ask for your continued support in all the moments of growth and achievement that are yet to come.
Thank you.”
Meanwhile, since his debut, Seunghan has been embroiled in controversy over his private life, and has been criticized for issues like smoking on the street when he was a minor and conversations he had with TXT’s Soobin on social media.
Afterwards, Seunghan announced his hiatus through a handwritten letter, saying, “I am fully aware that my past reckless actions have caused harm to many people. I am truly reflecting on this.”
