With Lee Soo Man's departure from SM, netizens are noting that the company is undergoing a significant shift, arguably influencing the member composition and music genres of their new boy group, RIIZE.

With ongoing rumors that Lee Soo Man is in Beijing, auditioning Chinese teenagers for his future idol projects, netizens are speculating that the ethnic composition of future groups in SM might no longer include Chinese members.

RIIZE, SM's first boy group in seven years, has garnered substantial attention after the revelation of its member lineup. Notably absent are Chinese artists, with six of the members being Korean (both by ethnicity and nationality) and one member, Shotaro, being Japanese. 

Furthermore, SM is reportedly moving away from the concept of 'Kwangya,' reintroducing aespa and other groups back to reality and unveiling "emotional pop." 

According to entertainment experts, the 'emotional pop' music genre is being used to present RIIZE as a group 'rising' to 'realize' their dreams—a symbolic play on their group name. They say this approach is somewhat reminiscent of SHINee's debut, where they introduced themselves as a 'contemporary band,' establishing a presence in both music and fashion. 

The new group RIIZE consists of former NCT members Sungchan and Shotaro, S.M.ROOKIES members Eunseok and Seunghan, as well as new faces Wonbin, Sohee, and composer Yoon Sang and model-actress Shim Hye Jin's son, Anton.

Netizens react:

"I just hope that Lee Soo Man doesn't plant the roots of the K-pop system in China...I mean, he still made K-pop global"
"I just have a feeling that this group will be different from the existing SM boy groups. They are also all good-looking and I am very excited for the musical work of Yoon Sang's son"
"It's been a whileeeeeeeee since there has been a group without a Chinese member (in SM)"
"The song seems really nice, I wish our (NCT) 127 would have also been given a good song T_T *sigh*"
"SM has a tradition and it's still a big company...since pro-China Lee Soo Man has left, I just hope they spread out for real to either the U.S. or Japan, make them even more global"

"I hope their new girl group also doesn't have any Chinese members...will Na Ha Eun also join as a member?"
"I guess their Chinese dream has dissipated. I am rooting for RIIZE"
"I will now stop hating on SM since Lee Soo Man has left"

"I just love how that freakin' Kwangya no longer exists, if that is the case"

"Their music style has gotten a lot groovier"

"They remind me of old K-pop like Seo Taiji and Boys or H.O.T....Makes me re-watch the video many times"

What are your thoughts?