RIIZE's Seunghan confirms departure from the group
14 Oct - It was revealed that RIIZE's Seunghan will be leaving the group not long after SM Entertainment confirmed he will be resuming work after a long hiatus.
On 13 October, Wizard Production, the SMEnt division managing the idol group, formally announced that the 21-year-old singer has expressed his desire to leave the band for the sake of his fellow members and fans.
"We initially made the decision with the hope that if Seunghan reflected on his past mistakes, returned to the group, and contributed to RIIZE's growth as a team once again, it could bring even greater happiness to both the artiste and the fans. However, upon carefully reviewing each of the opinions and reactions sent by the fans after the announcement, we realised that our decision only led to further confusion and hurt for all of you," the company stated.
Seunghan also released his own statement, saying that he has thought a lot about whether or not he has caused significant harm to the company and to the members, and finally decided that the best decision is for him to leave.
"I no longer want the fans to experience confusion or pain, nor do I want any more harm to come to the members and the company because of me," he expressed.
Prior to his decision, fans of the group flooded SM Entertainment with funeral wreaths to protest Seunghan's return. The singer went into hiatus for 10 months after he was caught up in several controversies that include him smoking in public while in Japan, and the spread of photos of him kissing a woman.
