Seunghan

Hong Seung-han (; born October 2, 2003), known mononymously as Seunghan, is a South Korean singer. He is a former member of South Korean boy band Riize, debuting under SM Entertainment in 2023. He will debut as a soloist in the second half of 2025.

First introduced in July 2022 as a member of SM Entertainment's idol training team SM Rookies, Seunghan debuted in September 2023 as a member of Riize. Amid leaks and criticism related to his personal life, Seunghan took hiatus from the band beginning in November 2023, briefly returning in October 2024 only to withdraw permanently two days later amid backlash from a subset of the band's fans.

The circumstances surrounding Seunghan's exit from Riize sparked controversy, with many criticizing what they perceived to be a toxic cancel culture mentality among South Korean fans, and bringing commentary on the cultural expectations of idols, particularly as K-pop agencies attempt to target international audiences.

Early life and education

Hong Seung-han was born on October 2, 2003, in the Ilsan District of Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea,, and has a brother who is five years his senior. Seunghan attended Jungsan High School in Seoul's Gangnam District, prior to transferring to School of Performing Arts Seoul's Department of Practical Music in 2019. He graduated from the school in 2022.

Seunghan was cast by SM Entertainment in his final year of middle school, after completing an entrance entrance for admission to an arts high school. He had received offers from other agencies, but selected SM due to his familiarity with the company and admiration for the friendships formed between its artists. Prior to his debut in Riize, Seunghan trained at SM for three-and-a-half years.

Career

2022–2023: Pre-debut activities, debut with Riize, and hiatus

Seunghan was first introduced to the public in a pictorial for ''WWD Korea'' on July 2, 2022, with SM Entertainment revealing him as a member of SM Rookies, the agency's pre-debut idol training team. He was introduced along with future fellow Riize member Eunseok, and future Mytro member Shohei.

As part of SM Rookies, Seunghan participated in the SM Town Live 2022: SMCU Express concert tour throughout August 2022, performing "Outro: Dream Routine" with then-NCT members (and future fellow Riize members) Shotaro and Sungchan. He also starred in ''Welcome to NCT Universe'', a variety show showing Shotaro and Sungchan guiding the rookies through "everything about NCT". The ten-episode series aired from November 2022 to February 2023 on TVING in South Korea, and Nippon TV and Hulu in Japan.

In July 2023, ''The Chosun Ilbo'' reported that Seunghan was set to leave SM Rookies and debut in SM's new boy band that September.

Seunghan was officially introduced as a member of Riize on August 1, and made his first appearance with the group in a performance video for "Siren" on August 7. The group made their official debut on September 4 with the single album ''Get a Guitar'', which sold more than a million copies in its first week, becoming the second-highest-selling debut album by a band. The group's follow-up single, " Talk Saxy", was released six weeks later, on October 27.

On November 22, in response to leaked photos from prior to his debut that showed him kissing a woman in a bed and smoking a cigarette, SM announced that Seunghan would take an indefinite hiatus from Riize. At the same time, Seunghan issued a hand-written apology letter to fans, and SM noted that the leaked photos were "severe defamation" and maliciously edited, and that they had identified the source and would be initiating legal proceedings against them.

During the hiatus, SM was criticized for their silence on Seunghan's status. Aside from their statement in November 2023, SM did not respond to any questions from fans and press regarding Seunghan's status with the band, and provided no updates on the legal actions it previously announced were being undertaken on Seunghan's behalf. In April 2024, upon Riize's release of the full-length version of "Siren", a song that was originally released in shortened form in August 2023, the agency attracted further criticism as Seunghan's vocals were removed from the song and dubbed by other members of the group.

2024–present: Return to and withdrawal from Riize, and solo debut

On October 11, 2024, in a statement on the group's official Twitter account, the band's management announced that Seunghan would end his nearly 11-month hiatus and return to group activities with Riize. In the statement, they indicated that they had "determined that Riize's next chapter would be even more meaningful if the seven members were together", and that they empathized with fans who were worried or concerned due to lack of updates over the previous 11 months. Shortly after, Seunghan posted a hand-written letter to his official Weverse fan community, apologizing once again and saying he was "deeply regretful and disappointed" over the controversial photos. He also added that his fellow Riize members were supportive of his return to the group, and that he was "filled with gratitude and remorse for the second chance they have given im.

Reaction to Seunghan's return was divided. In the hours immediately following the announcement protests were organized, mostly by South Korean fans, who felt that Seunghan had betrayed their trust and damaged Riize's reputation. That evening, over 1000 funeral wreaths began appearing on the plaza outside SM's headquarters in Seoul, bearing messages like "soul of the deceased, rest in peace", "freeloaders, get lost!" and "out with Seunghan", and trending hashtags like "#Seunghan_out" () and "#RIIZE_exists_as_six" () on Twitter in South Korea. Some also sent death threats to the singer. Conversely, international fans largely celebrated the comeback, with many arguing that Seunghan's hiatus constituted unfair punishment.

Two days after announcing his return, on October 13, the band's management issued another statement reversing course and announced that Seunghan would be leaving Riize, citing fan response. In the statement, they apologized for "causing confusion", and, referring to the previous decision to return him to the group, had "realized that heirdecision had actually hurt fans". Immediately after, Seunghan posted another hand-written letter on his Weverse fan community.

Reaction and analysis

Reaction to Seunghan's withdrawal from Riize was swift. Many international Riize fans expressed support for Seunghan, and condemned SM for caving to what they perceived as bullying and a toxic cancel culture mentality among South Korean fans. Other fans organized mobile billboards to be displayed in front of SM's headquarters displaying messages of support. A fan-created petition on Change.org demanding Seunghan's return to the band had generated over 300,000 signatures in the ten days following his exit.

Within the industry, Seunghan received support from SM labelmate Leeteuk of Super Junior and former Day6 member Jae Park, with the latter criticizing the act of protesting with funeral wreaths, calling the practice "disgusting" and suggesting that those responsible should face legal consequences. Others labeled the use of funeral wreaths as a protest method disruptive to the general public and burdensome for cleanup workers.

Protests over the events continued into November, with demonstrations occurring at the 2024 MAMA Awards in Los Angeles, which Riize attended. Fans protested outside the Dolby Theatre with banners that read "Idols are human, SM protect Seunghan" and flags bearing his face. Inside the venue, ''Billboard'' reported that protest material was confiscated by security, including any banners mentioning Seunghan or the band's existence as seven members, as well as anything colored orange, the band's unofficial color. Press covering the event reported that they were specifically told not to ask Riize about the controversy.

Analyzing the events, Jeff Benjamin of ''Billboard'' opined that SM's handling of issues surrounding Seunghan had the potential to set a new industry precedent, and a potential dangerous standard for other K-pop idols. He noted that South Korea's pop culture takes a conservative approach to idol behavior, in contrast with SM's perceived plans for Riize to appeal to a global audience. Speaking to NBC News, Stephanie Choi, a faculty expert on K-pop music at University at Buffalo, noted South Korean record labels are more likely to cater to domestic fans because they "actively participate in the idol-fan relationship by purchasing hundreds of album copies and meeting idols in person at events", while international fans "consume idols as media figures from a distance, without investing in the idol-fan relationship". '' Resonate Magazine'' noted that the clash between South Korean and international fans highlighted the cultural differences between the two groups, with South Korean fans feeling "a sense of ownership over their idols, expecting them to prioritize their careers and maintain a manufactured image of perfection" while internationally, K-pop idols are viewed "as artists first and foremost, deserving of personal lives and freedom of expression".

Writing for ''The Star'', columnist Jan Lee called SM's decision to remove Seunghan only two days after announcing his return "the worst possible course of action", adding that "it is alarming that such a powerful entity would cave with such immediacy to the demands of 'fans', who maliciously send death wishes to an artist, when the industry has lost so many bright, young stars to suicide". Pamela Pascual, writing for '' Daily Tribune'', said that Seunghan was "a case study in cancel culture", and that "K-pop idols often face nonstop criticism that goes beyond their music and targets their personal lives, looks, and choices". She also noted K-pop's history with cyberbullying and its consequences, making reference to fellow SM artist Sulli, whose 2019 suicide was widely attributed to cyberbullying.

Upcoming solo debut

On November 15, 2024, SM announced that Seunghan was preparing to debut as a solo artist in the second half of 2025. The same day, Seunghan opened official social media channels and shared several new photos.

Discography

As a member of Riize, Seunghan participated in three singles. The first, "Memories", was released in August 2023, followed in September by "Get a Guitar". Both songs were included on the band's debut single album, ''Get a Guitar''. " Talk Saxy", the final Riize single with Seunghan's participation, was released that October. The song was later included as the seventh track on the group's debut EP, '' Riizing'', released in June 2024.

Filmography

Television shows

References

External links

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{{Riize

2003 births
Living people
K-pop singers
Riize members
SM Rookies members
SM Entertainment artists
Singers from Gyeonggi Province
21st-century South Korean male singers
South Korean male pop singers
South Korean male dancers
South Korean male idols
School of Performing Arts Seoul alumni