Is Seunghan Departing RIIZE? SM Entertainment Issues Official Statement on Idol’s Group Status

Following an approximately 11-month break, SM Entertainment has officially clarified the status of Seunghan within the group RIIZE. This announcement came just minutes after speculation about his departure began circulating.

On October 11, the outlet SWAY, known for its exclusive insider news, published an article claiming that Seunghan would exit RIIZE, nearly a year after his indefinite hiatus announcement.

According to the report, SM Entertainment is currently in the process of coordinating his departure with an official announcement expected soon.

Moreover, it was suggested that the members of RIIZE have reached a consensus regarding Seunghan’s exit from the group.

RIIZE Seunghan — (Photo: RIIZE/Instagram)

However, this article was retracted shortly after SM Entertainment announced that Seunghan would actually be returning to RIIZE.

This subsequent article, which contradicted the earlier claim, expressed regrets to the fandom, BRIIZEs, for the lack of updates and confirmed that Seunghan would gradually start participating in the group’s activities, working towards rejoining them in their upcoming music ventures.

Here is SM Entertainment’s official comment regarding Seunghan’s comeback:

Greetings to all BRIIZEs who support RIIZE. We are SM’s Wizard Production, the producers of RIIZE.

We wish to discuss in detail Seunghan’s return and the future direction for RIIZE’s activities.

As fans are aware, Seunghan has been absent from team engagements for about 10 months due to personal issues before debuting. He recognizes that his previous actions were not appropriate, has reflected deeply, and sincerely apologizes to both his fellow members and the fans for the hiatus he has taken.

RIIZE Seunghan Spotted Attending Cram School — Idol Life Over? — (Photo: Kwon Hyun Jin/News1)

We have acknowledged that Seunghan’s past actions did not reflect the standards expected of an artist, which is why we took time to decide on resuming activities.

We understand that fans have been anxious and concerned about Seunghan’s status due to our lack of communication, and we sincerely apologize for being unable to provide clarity sooner regarding the future of RIIZE’s endeavors.

We have been thoughtfully planning RIIZE’s next steps since before their debut, and believe that the experience will be significantly enriched by having all seven members united.

RIIZE Seunghan's Alleged Couple Photos Garner Mixed Reactions + Idol Defended by Foreign Stans — (Photo: RIIZE/X)

As a result of ongoing discussions with the team members and staff about the direction of RIIZE’s activities, we have concluded that Seunghan will rejoin the group.

He will reintegrate into the team gradually and will participate in several scheduled events in November to reconnect with fans.

Despite his hiatus, Seunghan has been diligently enhancing his skills, and we invite everyone to continue supporting him as he showcases his growth in the future.

We sincerely apologize for the confusion and the difficulties this has caused the dedicated fans of RIIZE.

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