Fans have been vocal in expressing their demands and making their feelings known to SM Entertainment through their protests.
It has been nearly 5 days since Seunghan was removed as a member of RIIZE due to protests from OT6 fans.
SM Entertainment’s decision to remove Seunghan from RIIZE has sparked widespread backlash from international fans. They are condemning the agency for tolerating bullying and caving to pressure from extremists who sent funeral wreaths.
As a result, fans are united in boycotting RIIZE and continue to unfollow them on social media accounts. At the time of writing, RIIZE has lost 226,271 followers on Instagram, 81,487 on X, 122,516 on TikTok, 19317 on Spotify, and 24,698 on YouTube.
Moreover, their Japanese social media accounts have also seen a decline in following with a loss of 27,190 followers.
On October 17, SM Entertainment announced legal action against people spreading malicious content targeting Seunghan to quell fans’ outrage.
If anything, it has further fueled their anger and they are calling it a PR move. BRIIZE, fandoms of other groups, and K-pop stores have boycotted RIIZE until the situation is resolved.
Many artists have also come forward to show their support for Seunghan and condemn the action of OT6 fans who sent funeral wreaths.
Overseas fans continue to fight for Seunghan’s return despite SM Entertainment officially listing RIIZE as a 6-member group.