OT7 fans demand justice for Seunghan, calling for his return to RIIZE. They’re standing strong against bullying and unfair treatment.
It has been nearly a month since Seunghan’s exit from RIIZE was officially announced. Since then, fans have consistently protested his exit by sending trucks and boycotting RIIZE.
On November 5, international RIIZE fans released a joint statement, urging SM Entertainment to reinstate the 21-year-old singer in the group.
The global fandom, stated through their legal representative, Law Firm Koh Woo, “They will issue an official statement regarding Seunghan’s sudden departure and plan to send a letter of protest to the relevant institutions.”
The group of fans added, “This is an organized response from international fans regarding the reversal of the departure decision made just 48 hours after the announcement of Seunghan’s return on October 11.”
They continued, “After an 11-month hiatus following the leakage of Seunghan’s private photos in November last year, his return was announced. However, due to strong backlash from some domestic fans, his return announcement was reversed within 48 hours.”
They criticized the label’s decision to reverse his reinstatement, “SM Entertainment failed to properly protect Seunghan, the victim of privacy infringement. Legal actions were not taken against the perpetrators of the illegally leaked photos, and instead, demands for repeated apologies were made to the victim, Seunghan.”
In addition, fans stated that the agency failed to protect him from online harassment, “Leaving numerous memorial wreaths installed in front of the company building unattended threatened the psychological stability of the affiliated artists. They also emphasized that the company did not respond appropriately to malicious online harassment.”
Moreover, SM Entertainment did not consider the opinions of the global fandom who support the 0T7 lineup.
The global fandom will submit protest letters to
- Ministry of Employment and Labor: Investigate how entertainment agencies are fulfilling their obligation to protect artists and strengthen management supervision
- SM Entertainment: Address the unfair treatment of Seunghan and implement artist protection measures
- National Human Rights Commission Korea: Investigate the prevalence of cyberbullying and human rights violations against entertainers.
Seunghan went on indefinite hiatus last year after his pre-debut photos with Seunghan were leaked and caused a controversy. After 10 months, his return to the group was finally announced on October 11, only to be reversed two days later on October 13.
