Seung-han, who had been in the spotlight since his debut, was eventually caught in the past. After being suspended indefinitely due to controversy over his privacy, he carefully sought to return to the team, but he finally announced his withdrawal after failing to overcome opposition from fans.
On the 14th, SM Wizards Productions announced that Seung-han had expressed his intention to withdraw from Rise. The decision was reversed three days after SM said earlier that Seung-han would return to Rise activities and gradually proceed with the team's schedule.
SM said, "We respect the artist's decision, and we would like to inform you that Seung-han has left the Rise, not joined it. In the future, we will support Seung-han to fulfill his talents and dreams," he said, apologizing for causing confusion in his fandom Breeze by prematurely declaring his return.
Photo = Rise Instagram
Two leaked photos of his private life played a decisive role in the background of Seung-han's withdrawal from the team. In August last year, a photo of a man and a woman believed to have won the election was leaked, and in November of the same year, a photo of smoking on the streets of Japan was leaked, and the image was severely damaged.
At that time, Seung-han and SM responded hard to the leakage of private photos, signaling legal action. However, as some fans continued to protest for withdrawal and the controversy did not subside, Seung-han eventually declared a suspension of the team's activities in November last year. This allowed Rise to operate in a six-member system.
Since then, around the time the Rise 6-man system becomes familiar, SM surprisely announced Seung-han's return to the team on the 11th. SM explained, "We decided that the next chapter of Rise, which we have planned since our debut, will be more meaningful when seven members are together, and after several discussions with working-level officials and members about the direction of the team's activities in the future, we decided that Seung-han will return to the team."
In a handwritten letter, Seung-han also expressed his apology, revealing that he is sincerely reflecting on the previous controversies. Seung-han's return to Rise seemed to take place for the first time in about a year.
Photo = OSEN
However, there was a fierce debate over Seung-han's return from the fandom. Concerns that the negative image triggered by Seung-han could be overlaid on Rise and that Seung-han was also a victim of privacy leakage were confronted. Separately, attention was once again focused on Seung-han's future as there were protests against Seung-han's return to the team at SM headquarters.
In the end, Seung-han raised the white flag amid opposition from the fandom. SM officially confirmed Seung-han's withdrawal through an official position today, and Seung-han also said, "We judged that leaving the team is the way for everyone. He said, "I really don't want the relationship between Rise and Breeze to deteriorate because of me, which was developing together by supporting each other."
Seung-han's departure clearly shows how deadly the "privacy controversy" is for idol groups. As a result, the incident raised awareness among aspiring idols who are about to debut in the future, and at the same time, it served as an opportunity for agencies to remind them of the importance of managing their entertainers' past and communicating with fans.
Now Rise has a new start with an official six-person system. Attention is focusing on whether Rise will be able to overcome this incident and grow into a group loved by fans.
* YTN star receives reports related to celebrities and people in the entertainment industry. Please feel free to contact us at
ytnstar@ytn.co.kr . Thank you.
[Copyright holder (c) YTN Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution and use of AI data prohibited]