Pinoy fans, K-pop stores protest member’s exit from RIIZE

K-pop group RIIZE. Photos from RIIZE's accountFilipino fans and local K-pop merchandise stores, some with large online followings, have decried what they perceive as the unfair departure of idol Seunghan from the boy band RIIZE.

The issue highlights the tension between the more progressive views of K-pop’s international fans and South Korea’s conservative stance on its pop idols, an expert said.

On Sunday, Wizard Production, a division of K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment that handles RIIZE, announced that Seunghan personally decided to leave the group, just two days after confirming his return to activities following a 10-month hiatus.

The hiatus, which began roughly two months after Seunghan’s debut, was triggered by the leak of personal photos and videos taken before his debut, showing the 21-year-old smoking and in bed with an unidentified woman. This was met by a backlash from some conservative fans, who deemed his actions inappropriate for a K-pop idol.

While some fans welcomed the news of Seunghan’s return, others protested the decision, which, according to Wizard, was made in consultation with his bandmates. In an extreme show of disapproval, funeral wreaths were sent to SM Entertainment’s Seoul office, according to a Billboard report.

“We felt hurt, confused, and enraged all at the same time about the retraction of their initial decision. However, how we were feeling wasn’t just felt by us [RIIZE fans] but by other K-pop fans as well. It is somehow reassuring to know that we are not alone in this fight,” Louisa Espantaleon of the local fan group RIIZE Pilipinas told ABS-CBN News.

Halt in merch restocks

In a show of solidarity with international fans, K-pop merchandise stores worldwide have announced they will halt restocks of the group’s products due to the controversy.

Earlier this week, local shops such as N.Cat Philippines, Chingu Dachi, CNA K-pop, Seoul Stop, and Aling Chulien have said they would pause from restocking RIIZE albums and merchandise.

“We will no longer be restocking RIIZE albums and any other related merchandise by the artist upon stock depletion. No pre-orders of future releases will be opened from here on out, until an acceptable resolution from SM Entertainment has been made,” said N.Cat, which operates physical stores in malls across the country, in an X (formerly Twitter) post.

“We cannot, in good conscience, tolerate such injustice to happen and continue to patronize a company who so thoughtlessly treats their artists with little respect,” it added.

RIIZE’s 1st PH outing: Fans’ energy exceeds expectations

Seoul Stop founder Marielle Pineda explained her store joined the boycott as she found Seunghan’s departure as “unfair.”

“Dapat po inisip din nila (SM Entertainment) international fans,” Pineda said in an interview.

(They should have also thought about international fans.)

‘Clash of cultures’

Erik Paolo Capistrano, a professor at the University of the Philippines Virata School of Business, said the situation shows “another clash of cultures where non-Korean fans are having significantly different takes on the matters compared to the Korean fans.”

“On the one hand, you have a group of fans who are a bit dismissive of Seunghan being caught smoking [allegedly] as a minor or are redirecting their attention to the fact that the said photos were leaked. On the other hand, you see another group of fans who are super strict that any infraction of that perfect idol image is a mortal sin,” Capistrano, whose research interests include Filipino K-pop fans, said in an email.

K-pop stars often face strict behavioral controls and are held to impossibly high standards, as record companies strive to present fans with the image of the perfect idol.

READ: Fan outcry over K-pop star's date highlights 'harsh' industry rules

In response to the decision to halt restocking RIIZE merchandise, Capistrano said he appreciates that international fans possess "a level of consciousness on the matter that fans have some power."

“My question is that, is that power well-founded? For one, where do we draw the line between trying to 'punish' SM Entertainment for allegedly ‘not protecting Seunghan,’ and compromising the position of the other six members of RIIZE who have worked... since debut?” Capistrano questioned.

Seunghan

Other means of consumptions

It is also hard to say whether the movement to boycott RIIZE products can significantly impact the group.

“Because there are other ways and means to consume RIIZE content that can, at least temporarily, make up for the lost sales because these merchandisers have not restocked,” Capistrano said.

“How much of these merchandisers’ total sales are accounted for by RIIZE sales? Is it really so much that it’ll make a really nice dent in their bank accounts, or, at the other end of the extreme spectrum, is it just a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the products that they’re selling?” he added.

Espantaleon of RIIZE Pilipinas admitted that it is difficult for fans to boycott the group.

“By doing this, we are aware that the group may be put to harm in terms of the sales needed to keep them going but we also understand that both the future and the wellbeing of the group and its members are far more important,” she said.

“If there were more ways to express how disappointed we are as fans with their decision, we would have taken a different route with our protest.” 

SM Entertainment has yet to comment on international fans’ criticisms regarding Seunghan’s departure.

RIIZE, now consisting of Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Sohee, and Anton, made their debut in September 2023 with the single “Get A Guitar.” Since then, they have quickly gained popularity in the K-pop scene, earning several awards for rookie acts during their debut year.

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