Seunghan's shocking exit from K-pop band RIIZE has sparked a new wave of activism among fanbases across the board. With international fans questioning the toxic standards of “perfection” set for idols to meet, the latest move has, in some ways, initiated a much-needed conversation surrounding the unwarranted normalisation of “bullying” and cancel culture established by certain chunks of the fandom.

With fans setting their foot down that the issue is no longer limited to RIIZE’s future but the K-pop industry at large, Hallyu Wave loyalists worldwide have kicked off a boycott campaign to hold the group’s agency accountable for “supporting” bullying and immediately bowing down to the mistreatment of artists, who are but human beings at the end of the day.

US-based K-pop retailers and other global stores cease restocking RIIZE albums and merch

Global K-pop retailers have joined the fans in counter-striking Seunghan’s uncalled-for departure from the group. Standing in solidarity with ‘OT7’ enthusiasts, numerous US-based sellers of K-pop merchandise have temporarily stopped importing and restocking RIIZE albums and other items. SubKShop, a major retail player in the K-pop sales business in the US that also ships worldwide, released a statement on Wednesday, October 16.

In an attempt to push for fans’ urgent pleas to be heard by SM Entertainment, the store wrote, “In light of recent events, we have decided to temporarily halt the importing of RIIZE products out of respect for our customers, fans, and the artist. Existing orders will still be fulfilled, pre-purchased inventory will remain, and future sales will be reevaluated as the situation evolves. Thank you for your understanding and support.”

Another US shop, LightUpKShop, wrote on X, “After careful consideration, LIGHTUPK has made the decision to halt RIIZE restocks for the time being. This decision does NOT affect the current stock we have, nor does it affect any current pre-orders.” EvePink, a popular Texas-based store, responded to a fan’s concerns on the matter, disclosing they, too, “have decided to cease restocking RIIZE albums and merchandise.”

Similarly, Hey!Hallyu, a Dutch K-pop store, announced on social media, “Due to the targeted harassment of some Korean fans towards Seunghan, he is no longer a member of RIIZE. We regret that SM Entertainment, once again, has not been able to protect their artist.”

Moreover, Nolae, a European shop, followed suit: “We firmly stand against any form of bullying and harmful behaviour including toxic fan culture. We believe in fostering a safe and supporting environment for all artists and fans alike.”

Intentions of the ‘RIIZE boycott’ drives attention to trending tags like ‘#SMStandsforBullying’

Through this attempt at “hitting their pockets,” K-pop fans have united under one banner, urging for the reinstatement of the OT7 RIIZE brand. With this move, RIIZE sales under SM Entertainment are noticeably expected to take a major hit. However, K-pop lovers emphasise that this dramatic switch should not be misconstrued as them cutting ties with the present-standing six members of the group: Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Sohee, and Anton.

They firmly believe this boycott is the not-so-hidden card in the deck that will ultimately get their voices heard at the South Korean label that has otherwise been pandering to international fans by marketing its groups as “global” brands while hypocritically brushing off the earnest requests of consumers from the same market. The initial steps of the boycott saw fans unfollowing RIIZE's official SNS platforms, including Instagram, X/Twitter and more, while halting streaming parties of their music and video content on Spotify, YouTube and other such platforms.

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 division managing the act. Within months of his debut, he pulled out of the group activities after a 10-month hiatus was enforced on him in light of a scandal breaking out.

What was the controversy related to Seunghan?

Frenzy, attributed to the country's conservative background, took over K-netizens who were disgruntled at the sight of the singer’s leaked private images, divulging a glimpse of his pre-debut days. Countless posts and pictures circulated online, focussing on an unidentified woman, his alleged girlfriend at the time, in bed with him. Subsequently revealed images also captured him smoking cigarettes.

Nevertheless, as international fans held out hope and awaited his return, SM Entertainment announced his much-anticipated return to the group on October 11. Shortly thereafter, a group of local Korean fans protested the move and unreasonably sent out 1,000 funeral wreaths, calling for his permanent departure from the group. Within two days of the announcement, previously cheered by international BRIIZEs, the agency turned the tables on their sighs of relief and Seunghan’s fate in the band, announcing that he would no longer rejoin the others.

Wonbin's letter

Soon after the initial announcement of Seunghan’s return, fellow bandmate Wonbin addressed the issue via a Weverse letter. He emphasised that the decision collectively reflected RIIZE’s intentions to reunite with Seunghan, “I am worried that you guys would struggle more and be confused if the members don’t say a word or react to anything, so, I am writing this after organising the conversations we’ve had with the members,” the 22-year-old wrote. “I’m sure many of you have wondered if Seunghan was coming back or not a lot, or why there wasn’t a clear answer sooner… us, Seunghan, and the company, really talked about this for a long period of time.”

He continued, “I hope that you guys realise the members have thought about this together again and again, considering this deeply. I had wanted always to make all of our BRIIZE happy, but I’m sorry I am unable to do that… I know this post will not be able to erase all of your worries, but I hope that it can comfort you in your confusion, even just a little bit," as per Billboard's translation.

Unfortunately, his post was also deleted from RIIZE’s fan community platform after SM Entertainment went back on its word.

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