SEOUL, Oct 20 — The war among Kpop boyband Riize fans — known as Briize has stepped up.

Last week, former group member Hong Seung-han was announced by management SM Entertainment that the 21-year-old would be making a return to the group beginning November, ending his indefinite hiatus.

Riize's agency SM Entertainment had announced Seunghan's suspension in November last year, due to an August 2023 leak of private, pre-Riize photos and videos that showed the star kissing an unidentified woman in a bed and smoking a cigarette.

The announcement of his return was met with mixed reactions from fans, with the ‘antis’ making the first move, protesting the decision and insisting on retaining the band as a sextet minus Seunghan.

The OT6 group (OT meaning “One True”, referring to the recognised numbers of members of an idol group, had demanded a boycott of the group and sent funeral or condolence wreaths, to the SM Entertainment building in protest — despite Riize member Wonbin pleading for support.

It is widely perceived that only international fans were willing to accept Seunghan, and while OT6 made their voices — and threats — heard, which saw Seunghan voluntarily withdraw from the group permanently.

The remainder of Briize, known as OT7 have been gaining strength, as the group's international fanbase take the fight to home ground — namely SM Entertainment's office in Seoul.

Support trucks with positive messages for Seunghan began lining the streets from October 15 beginning with fans from Mexico.

Protest (or support trucks) from international fanbases including Malaysia line the streets in the vicinity of SM Entertainment's office. — Picture from WERIIZE_MY
Protest (or support trucks) from international fanbases including Malaysia line the streets in the vicinity of SM Entertainment's office. — Picture from WERIIZE_MY

Malaysian Briize as well as Indonesian counterparts have since joined, with the first round on Friday — with the second campaign currently in action outside the SM Entertainment office today.

And if that wasn't enough, Indonesian fans also took to billboards in Gangnam to add a little bit more firepower to the OT7 movement.

The war between the two fan factions have been heating up, but OT6 seem to have earned the ire of the Kop community in general for their approach that is seen as overstepping the line.

The group itself appear to be struggling to handle overzealous fans.

At a recent Shanghai for a fan event., they allegedly resorted to using a private exit to avoid crowds of fans.

This was followed by precarious situations where fans are even seen getting too close for comfort with the idols, as well as physically going against security members which has sparked conversations among fans about the continued invasion of privacy and how group members members must feel.

Members of Riize have appeared unable to mask their feelings with the ugly side of their fandom rearing its ugly head.