Seunghan RIIZE Exit Signals New, Impossible Rules for K-Pop Stars [Video]

Last week, SM Entertainment released its “30th Anniversary Brand Film” to celebrate its upcoming three-decade milestone since the Korean label’s establishment. The film showcases SM’s evolution into a multinational, publicly traded company through trend-setting, generation-defining acts and songs as captured through the film’s showcase of early artists H.O.T., S.E.S. and BoA, to its latest stars. With such a powerful precedence in the industry, SM and its internal team’s handling of the recent controversy involving Seunghan, a former member of the label’s newest K-pop group RIIZE, has the potential to set a new industry standard — but one that could create a potentially dangerous precedent for its stars.

Debuting in September 2023, RIIZE’s multinational lineup representing Korea, Japan and the U.S., centered on an authentic, “unpolished” image through makeup-free selfies and in-studio content on social media — a refreshing shift from SM’s elaborate, concept-heavy aesthetics. The full, seven-member lineup of Shotaro, Sungchan, Eunseok, Seunghan, Wonbin…