“Anonymous SM Employees Critique International Fans in Response to RIIZE Seunghan’s Return Strategy”

On October 11, 2024, RIIZE’s official account managed by SM Entertainment announced the much-anticipated return of their seventh member, Seunghan, after a lengthy 10-month break. The fandom, recognized as BRIIZE, joyfully acknowledged this exciting development by trending Seunghan’s name along with various hashtags such as #RIIZEis7 on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In response to Seunghan’s comeback, an unnamed employee from SM Entertainment expressed their thoughts through a post titled “SM Employee’s Blind Reaction to Seunghan’s Return.”The post quickly garnered significant attention, reaching about 30,000 views within just an hour. The employee remarked:

“This is clearly a strategy to draw in international fans, but since they don’t contribute financially, the whole company is questioning this move, lol.”

Response from SM Employee Regarding Seunghan’s Return

During a discussion on the Blind app, the anonymous SM employee indicated that many within the company were not particularly thrilled about Seunghan’s reintegration. The Blind app is a platform exclusively for verified employees from some of the largest firms in South Korea.

The employee asserted that their opinions echoed those of other staff members at SM, who have been skeptical about the decision to reinstate him.

“The entire SM Entertainment workforce is opposed to this decision, so what is the purpose of bringing him back? We have consistently pointed out that Korean fans, who genuinely support us with their wallets, are only fans of the remaining six members, yet the company seems oblivious,”the post conveyed.

In addition, the post acknowledged that SM had been hinting at Seunghan’s return for several months and suggested that they should have brought him back sooner if this was indeed the strategy all along.

Mixed Reactions to RIIZE Seunghan’s Comeback

The singer, known for his work with Talk Saxy, paused his activities in November 2023 following the leak of his personal pre-debut photos, which sparked a major controversy in South Korea and resulted in an indefinite hiatus. This break became increasingly difficult for fans to accept as they noticed a slow removal of Seunghan from existing content recorded during his time with the group.

Moreover, SM Entertainment did not clarify the singer’s situation during this period. Nonetheless, many of RIIZE’s international supporters rallied behind him, organizing fan events and showing their support during the group’s overseas engagements by chanting his name and displaying banners that read ‘RIIZE is 7.’

Recently, the 21-year-old shared a touching letter on Weverse, where he reflected on his hiatus, apologized for his previous “immature”actions, and vowed to commit fully to his role in RIIZE. He expressed gratitude towards the other six members for reaching out during his lowest moments, saying:

“The members contacted me once again. I am incredibly thankful and regretful for the chance they’ve afforded me, as it must not have been an easy call,”

Furthermore, it was recently announced by SM Entertainment that Seunghan would officially resume his activities with the group in November 2024.

About RIIZE

RIIZE made their debut under SM Entertainment with their single album, *Get A Guitar*, on September 4, 2023. The group is comprised of seven talented members: Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Seunghan, Sohee, and Anton. Notably, Shotaro and Sungchan had previously debuted with NCT in October 2020 but left the group on May 4, 2023.

The group further delighted fans with their first EP, *Riizing*, released on June 17, featuring the complete version of their pre-debut teaser “Siren,”along with four additional tracks: “Impossible,””Honestly,””9 Days,”and “One Kiss.”On the anniversary of their debut, they shared their first repackaged EP, *Riizing: Epilogue*, led by the single “Combo.”

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