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Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News
K-pop singer Seunghan of boy group RIIZE will go on an indefinite hiatus after figuring in several controversies, his label said Wednesday.
SM Entertainment, one of the leading management companies in K-pop, announced the development in a statement posted on RIIZE’s X (formerly Twitter) page.
“RIIZE will promote with six members excluding Seunghan starting today,” it said in the statement translated into English by Korean entertainment news portal Soompi.
“It is an abrupt situation, but we ask for the generous understanding of fans as it is a matter that was decided through careful discussion with the artist himself,” SM said.
The 20-year-old idol has been embroiled in a number of controversies in recent months after photos and videos from his private social media accounts — some allegedly taken before his debut — were leaked to the public.
They include photos of Seunghan allegedly kissing a girl and smoking in public. He was also accused of badmouthing an unidentified personality in a recent clip that showed him in a private Instagram livestream with fellow idol Soobin of Tomorrow X Together.
K-pop stars are expected to live up to high standards of behavior. Artists are also often prohibited from publicly disclosing their romantic relationships as it is believed to undermine their allure to fans.
SM said Seunghan “is feeling severely apologetic and is reflecting on himself for causing disappointment and commotion to not only the team and members but also to fans.”
“Seunghan feels mental pressure and responsibility regarding this, so after deep contemplation, he relayed his intention to halt activities for the team,” it said.
But the company noted that the photos and videos were taken during Seunghan’s “personal time during his trainee days before his debut.”
“They were reproduced several times to cause misunderstandings,” SM said.
“The individuals who are leaking and circulating these videos and photos are even using malicious means of creating groundless false information and messenger conversations that do not exist, continuing acts of severe defamation toward the artist,” it added.
The agency said it planned to file a legal complaint against those who leaked Seunghan’s photos and videos.
RIIZE — which also consists of Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Sohee and Anton — debuted in September with the single “Get a Guitar.”
The group made its first comeback in late October with the single “Talk Saxy.”
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