RIIZE rightfully has been recognized as a potential next-generation leader in K- pop ‘s ongoing international crossover, in large part thanks to its refreshing embrace of approachability. But the way its label, K-pop giant SM Entertainment, has handled a controversy involving one of the group’s original members has provided a high-stakes window into the ongoing tension between South Korean artists balancing the demands of international careers with the country’s more traditional, accepted social norms. When SM introduced RIIZE’s lineup in July 2023 via 27 casual Instagram photos that wouldn’t look out of place on any influencer’s page, it set a bar for how its seven members – Shotaro , Eunseok , Sungchan , Wonbin , Seunghan , Sohee and Anton – intended to connect with fans online in a relatable way; as Eunseok explained it during RIIZE’s interview in Los Angeles for Billboard ’s recent digital cover story , the group wanted to share “a lot of pictures of our daily life and intimate [moments] on social media.
” But only six members of RIIZE participated in the cover. Interviews for the piece occurred almost exactly six months after SM announced that Seunghan would “halt activities” with RIIZE following an August 2023 leak of private, pre-RIIZE photos and videos that showed him kissing an unidentified woman in a bed and smoking a cigarette. Though tame by Western standards, the content went viral in South Korea, a country which has undergone rapid mod.
