RIIZE‘s Wonbin is quickly ~rising~ in popularity! The 5th Gen K-pop idol is getting attention for his stellar good looks and talent as the center of SM Entertainment’s newest boy group. Keep reading to learn more about Wonbin and RIIZE.
Who Is Wonbin?
Born in Ulsan, South Korea, on March 2, 2002, Wonbin is a Pisces! He debuted in 2023 with the rest of the members of RIIZE, after training at SM Entertainment for around four years.
Wonbin is the “center” of RIIZE, a.k.a. the “face of the group.” ICYMI, in K-pop the center position is oftentimes taken by a member who is an all-round entertainer. Centers are not to be mistaken with the “visual” of K-pop groups, which is the member that best represents South Korean beauty standards.
Who Are RIIZE?
RIIZE debuted on September 4, 2023, with their single album Get a Guitar, and consists of members Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Seunghan, Sohee and Anton.
RIIZE’s name was created by combining “Rise,” meaning “growth”, and “Realize”, meaning “a team that grows together and realizes dreams.”
Prior to RIIZE, members Shotaro and Sungchan previously debuted in SM’s previous boy group, NCT, and were unveiled as part of the lineup in October 2020. After being active in NCT for three years, SM announced that Shotaro and Sungchan would leave the band in May 2023 to join the lineup for RIIZE.
“All of the RIIZE members are very much devoted to their work as artists in a variety of ways, with many members being able to create choreography and write lyrics,” Anton said in an interview with Consequence in September 2023. “As I am actively pursuing music production as well, I believe having a team where all of the members actively give input into the creative processes is what makes RIIZE so exciting.”
On November 22, 2023, SM announced that Seunghan would be put on indefinite hiatus due to controversial pictures and videos from his past that went viral online.
“I am fully aware of the damage that my imprudent actions have caused,” Seunghan said in a handwritten letter. “I truly regret my actions. I want to apologize to the fans and RIIZE members who had supported me.”
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