RIIZE Lose A Significant Amount Of Followers As K-Pop Fandoms Protest Seunghan’s Withdrawal
It was recently announced that Seunghan would depart from RIIZE. The news shocked many as it was announced that Seunghan would return to schedules two days prior.
As a result, many fans have felt disappointed and angry over the circumstances surrounding his withdrawal.
Shortly after the announcement, fans began to plan a boycott of RIIZE, detailing steps to take to show their support.
DUE TO THE INJUSTICE OF RIIZE. #JUSTICE_FOR_SEUNGHAN #AlwaysWithSeunghan #SMSupportsBullying #SEUNGHAN #홍승한 @RIIZE_official #BOYCOTTSM @SMTOWNGLOBAL pic.twitter.com/Soq5upQqhB
— mimi is tired. (@heepurinz) October 13, 2024
At the same time, other K-Pop fandoms, including BTS‘s ARMY, IVE‘s DIVES, and ATEEZ‘s ATINY stepped up to protest, using the hashtag #SMSupportsBullying to show solidarity.
ARMYs, this is not about #BTS , let's support #RIIZE's fandom BRIIZE, who are going through this difficult time right now. Regardless of the reason for removing a member, let's show solidarity
BRING BACK SEUNGHAN
JUSTICE FOR SEUNGHAN #SMSupportsBullying#FVCKYOUSM pic.twitter.com/F2OK8MQKQn— m⁷ ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ (@agustdg1oss) October 13, 2024
DIVE this is not about IVE but let's support #RIIZE's fandom BRIIZE, who are going through this difficult time right now. Regardless of the reason for removing a member, let's show solidarity pls 🙏🏻
BRING BACK SEUNGHAN
JUSTICE FOR SEUNGHAN #SMSupportsBullying#FVCKYOUSM pic.twitter.com/XSxgIsWrNq— *☆accendio'⁶{🇵🇸} (@nowony_ofc) October 13, 2024
ATINYs, this is not about #ATEEZ, but please let's support #RIIZE's fandom BRIIZE, who are going through this difficult time right now. Regardless of the reason for removing a member, let's show solidarity
BRING BACK SEUNGHAN
JUSTICE FOR SEUNGHAN #SMSupportsBullying#FVCKYOUSM pic.twitter.com/Qrw5ZMFsCh— Seunghan be strong please!!! 🫧 (@nawpucanttt) October 13, 2024
MYs, this is not about #AESPA, let's support #RIIZE's fandom BRIIZE, who are going through this difficult time right now. Regardless of the reason for removing a member, let's show solidarity
BRING BACK SEUNGHAN
JUSTICE FOR SEUNGHAN#SMSupportsBullying#FVCKYOUSM#RII7E_or_NONE pic.twitter.com/jkll7HDluP— ً (@gshourly) October 13, 2024
The boycott has already see some immediate results in the form of a decrease in following across RIIZE’s social media accounts.
Prior to the October 13 announcement, the group actually saw an increase in following on all social media platforms. This has since reversed and more, on each platform.
On X, the group dropped from a recorded 810,978 followers to 770,532 and counting, a loss of around 40,446.
The group also lost a significant amount of followers on Instagram, dropping by around 78,850 and counting.
RIIZE’s TikTok had upwards of 3,543,847 followers and has now dropped to 3,496,199 and counting, a loss of 47,648 followers.
This amounts to over 166,000 followers lost among these three platforms a little more than 14 hours after the announcement of Seunghan’s withdrawal. The total number across all social media platforms is likely much higher, with tracking showing a loss in YouTube subscribers as well.
RIIZE fans began a boycott earlier this year in support of Seunghan, and the ongoing boycott has already surpassed the numbers seen at that point.
And while these numbers may seem “small” in comparison to their total number of followers, any movement by fans is often hard to enact and enforce. This, combined with the fact that the accounts gain anywhere from 500 to 2000 followers daily (meaning that unfollowing has to offset this number to see a negative change), means the boycott has already gotten off to a strong start.
Share This Post
