RIIZE’s Shotaro Gives Sincere Apology Amid Some Members’ Controversies 

Shotaro’s apology as a member of RIIZE calmed down confused fan sentiments.

On March 13th, SM Entertainment announced an official stance on combating the spread of false information surrounding RIIZE members. Following this, RIIZE members surprised fans by starting a live broadcast on Weverse. 

Firstly, Wonbin expressed, “I often use Weverse and frequently read fan letters. I truly understand what concerns you all have nowadays. Before we start, I want to talk about this.” He took a deep breath.

At the center of the controversies, Anton said, “There have been many things happening over the past few days. I felt upset because there were too many stories different from my intentions. I’m truly sorry for the emotions fans might have felt unintentionally. I wanted to express my apologies to fans who were confused and upset.”

Eunseok, who was also embroiled in another privacy controversy, said, “I want to first say that there is nothing for fans to worry about, so I hope you believe that. I express my gratitude and apologies to the fans who worried about us.”

The members lightened up the atmosphere by discussing upcoming fan concerts scheduled for May. The live broadcast continued for about 10 minutes, and towards the end, Shotaro, with a serious expression, said, “There’s something more I wanted to talk about.”

Shotaro continued, “I’m truly sorry for causing anxiety to our fans, who support us with pure hearts. I want to express our sincere gratitude to the fans who continue to trust and support us. I hope you will continue to believe in us. We are more united as a team than you think. The determination we made at our debut to advance as a team remains unchanged. Please continue to count on us. We will continue to show you a new and hard-working side, so please look forward to it.”

As the oldest member within the group, Shotaro’s sincere apology somewhat alleviated the uneasy fan sentiments. However, there were also opinions expressing disappointment, such as, “Why does Shotaro, who had no controversy, have to apologize? He’s pitiful,” and “They claim to be a group without a leader, but they only bring out the oldest member in times like this.”

From BLACKPINK to NewJeans, ONEUS, and RIIZE, many groups are promoting themselves as ‘groups without leaders.’ This is due to the emphasis on horizontal relationships and the unique synergy effects that emerge from friendships.

Kim Heonsik, a popular culture critic, commented on Shotaro’s apology, saying, “We should consider whether there is any coercion involved. If it’s a voluntary apology, regardless of leadership and age, taking responsibility for the group’s issues can reflect positively to the public. However, we should be cautious not to fall into reverse discrimination where the oldest member bears all the responsibilities.”

Especially since Shotaro redebuted with RIIZE after leaving NCT, fans looked at him with even more mixed concerns. Critic Kim mentioned the ‘underdog effect,’ “It could be a double-edged sword. If there’s a burden to apologize as the oldest member, public sentiment might lean towards appreciating sacrificial and dedicated gestures.” 

Source: daum