K-Pop star, HONG SEUNGHAN, is dropped from boyband after 'toxic' fans called for his axe because he was pictured kissing his girlfriend

Friday, October 25, 2024 - A K-Pop star has been dropped from a boyband after 'toxic' fans called for his axe after he was filmed kissing a woman believed to be his girlfriend.

According to Mail Online, Hong Seunghan's departure from RIIZE is the latest development in a saga that began 14 months ago, when leaked photos and videos showed the then-19-year-old smoking and kissing the woman (thought to be an ex-girlfriend) in bed.

Just days earlier, he had been unveiled by SM Entertainment as the seventh member of the new boy group RIIZE (a combination of the words 'RISE' and 'REALIZE') on track to becoming the Next Big Thing.

The photos 'reportedly went viral online and sparked fan protests over his inclusion in the band, forcing SM Entertainment to kick out Seunghan, now 21, even before his career began.

On October 11, the agency attempted to re-introduce Seunghan to the RIIZE line-up, but he was met with a 'toxic' fan-led campaign; leading SM Entertainment to give him the boot just 48 hours later.

According to a translation of the official statement confirming Seunghan's exit, officials at Wizard Production (part of SM Entertainment) had 'ruminated carefully' on the overwhelming fan response to Seunghan's return before deciding they had made a mistake.

The decision came after K-pop fans reportedly sent hundreds of white funeral wreaths to SM Entertainment's Seoul office to signify that Seunghan's return was the death of RIIZE.

However, other fans within the K-Pop community have hit back at the campaign to have Seunghan removed from RIIZE and have accused SM Entertainment of cowing to 'bullying'.

'Funeral wreaths are part of a tradition for actual deceased people, and to my knowledge are generally filled with messages of sympathy to the bereaved and the deceased,' Tarryn McMurray, a British fan of RIIZE told NBC.

'To turn something that is meant as a sign of respect into a tactic for bullying someone is incredibly egregious.'

When Seunghan was reinstated into the band, hundreds of angry fans gathered in protest outside the building, as the funeral wreaths were decorated with angry messages condemning Seunghan and SM Entertainment.

According to news outlet AllKpop.com, the wreaths had messages like 'Hong Seunghan Out', 'Seunghan' leave RIIZE', 'Exit RIIZE', 'Hong Seunghan buzz off', and 'Freeloader Seunghan exit'.