A RIIZE fan posted a photo online, claiming it shows Seunghan, as part of their protest calling for his departure from the group.
Recently, Seunghan issued a handwritten letter announcing his permanently departure from RIIZE after three days of boycotts and protests from fans refusing to accept his return to the group.
Prior to this announcement, an anonymous fan posted on social media as part of the protest, alleging they had seen Seunghan on May 4th of this year with a male friend and two girls, buying beer at a convenience store late at night.
The fan’s post, which included a photo they claimed was of Seunghan, alleged that this happened on the day of RIIZE's first fan concert. According to the post, Seunghan and his friends had likely attended another party earlier and were preparing to continue drinking at someone’s home.
The fan further stated that Seunghan reportedly returned to the convenience store two hours later to buy more alcohol, purchasing 2 to 3 packs of 1.6-liter beers. The fan added, "Is this really someone who's supposed to be on hiatus?"
The post has been accompanied by hashtags calling for Seunghan’s removal from the group as part of a collective fan protest.
The fan on the online forum who shared this social media post added:
"His life must be fun.
To the fans who like male idols who enjoy nightlife:
Give up hope that your oppa will change his ways.
Liking nightlife is in one's DNA. He was born to enjoy it, so what can you do?
Do you think he can resist?
If you love chocolate and it's brought right in front of you every day, can you resist it?"
In the comments section, many K-netizens appeared to believe the claims, leaving critical reactions toward Seunghan, with others upvoting similar comments.
On the other hand, others defended the idol, pointing out that "no one knows for sure if that’s really Seunghan," and even if it were true, "there’s no reason to be upset over a grown adult buying alcohol at a convenience store."
Here are more comments revealing the divide in opinions:
"He really has an incredible ability to squeeze out sympathy. The people defending him are like future prison brides. Honestly, it’s just pitiful..."
"I don’t like this ‘motel-dol’ because he gives off a cheap, trashy vibe, and even makes those around him seem low-class."
"Let's go, Seunghan—the scandal factory for RIIZE."
"The snake bite piercing is undeniable evidence. LOL"
"1. No one knows if that’s really Hong Seunghan. 2. Even if it is, how do we know someone didn’t just take a picture of his back and make up a story on X? 3. Even if the photo and story are true, what’s the problem? Why be mad at an adult buying alcohol at a convenience store, while you praise your oppas for their drinking stories?"
"Criticizing him for drinking with friends? That’s really too much."
"Just imagine him making 1 billion won—what a reality check. LOL"
"He didn’t even do anything wrong. Is it bad for young men and women to drink? It’s gross how people get involved in stuff like this and pretend it’s a romance with their idols. I don’t even care about male idols. LOL Get a grip."
"As long as they have a picture, they can make up any story they want."
"It’s so sad how the haters are desperate to believe those rumors are true."
"If he wasn’t going to live like a regular person, shouldn’t he have been more careful? There are plenty of male idols with no scandals, so why defend him?"
"Alcohol isn’t a drug, and even RIIZE members drink. So what if an adult buys alcohol? Even during a self-reflection period, you can still drink, right? Honestly, everyone smokes on the street. Complaining about something like this just shows your lack of intelligence."
What are your thoughts?