The K-pop industry has witnessed two notable controversies recently; Suga’s DUI incident and Seunghan’s return to RIIZE.
This led to protests from many Korean fans, sending trucks and funeral wreaths to SM Entertainment.
While Suga’s DUI incident happened in early August and received intense backlash then, attention to the controversy was drawn once again by the recent protest on October 20.
Around 100 protests were sent to HYBE demanding Suga’s withdrawal from the group. In addition, ARMYs sent a food truck supporting Suga on the same day, giving free drinks and snacks.
It is reported that the protest will continue till October 22. The protest wreaths were guarded by the monitors so no supporters, present at the scene, could damage them. After a few hours, BIGHIT MUSIC, an agency representing BTS, has them from the premises.
This led to fans comparing SM Entertainment’s response to the handling of Seunghan’s situation.
On October 11 Seunghan’s return to RIIZE led to opposition from fans, who expressed discontent through hundreds of “death” wreaths outside SM Entertainment’s headquarters. These wreaths remained in place until Seunghan departed from the group.
Fans are criticizing SM Entertainment for not removing the protest wreaths sooner. Many argue that the company’s inaction exposed Seunghan to prolonged trauma from intense backlash and death threats. Instead, the wreaths remained for two days, only being removed after Seunghan’s exit.
The differing responses of SM Entertainment and HYBE have raised eyebrows. Fans have pointed out the contrast between SM Entertainment’s inaction regarding Seunghan’s wreaths and HYBE’s swift removal of Suga’s.
Seunghan’s exit has sparked a new round of protests from international BRIIZE, OT7, and K-pop fans. RIIZE has lost over 500K followers, and protest trucks are being sent every day demanding Seunghan’s reinstatement.