SM Receives Permission for Identity Verification of Anonymous X Accounts Demanding SEUNGHAN's Return

SM Entertainment has received permission in U.S. court proceedings to identify the operators of two anonymous X accounts that engaged in collective action demanding the return of former RIIZE member SEUNGHAN to the team. On October 14 local time, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas accepted the discovery application filed by SM against X. This comes just nine days after SM submitted the application. However, this decision alone does not mean the identities of the account operators will be immediately delivered to SM. If X files an objection, the court may rule again.

The accounts for which SM requested identity verification are ‘@RIIZE******’ and ‘@ri********’. In the application, SM claimed that these two accounts criticized the treatment of SEUNGHAN, urged boycotts and organized hashtag campaigns, repeatedly submitted reports to 'KWANGYA 119' (the agency's artist rights protection center), and were involved in activities such as placing installations near the SM headquarters. SM previously filed a civil lawsuit against the two operators in Korea and then applied for discovery in a U.S. court to specify the identities of the defendants necessary to proceed with the litigation.

Identity Verification Request Accepted in 9 Days

The targets of SM's application are the operators of the two X accounts, and the application states that the account activities included criticism of SM, claims regarding the treatment of SEUNGHAN, calls for boycotts, and organized hashtag campaigns. The account names are partially masked as ‘@RIIZE******’ and ‘@ri********’.

SM filed a civil lawsuit against the two account operators at the Seoul Eastern District Court last year. Subsequently, to specify the defendants and proceed with the lawsuit, they filed a discovery application in a U.S. court in October of the following year, and have now received an acceptance decision. According to court records, the period from the filing of the application to the acceptance was nine days. This decision means SM has received permission for the procedure to secure data against X, and does not mean the identities of the account operators have already been disclosed.

The account activities that SM cited as problematic in the application include demands for SEUNGHAN's return, repeated submissions to KWANGYA 119, and installations near the company headquarters. The application contains details that one operator encouraged followers to submit posts demanding SEUNGHAN's return, providing guidance such as "create at least 5 accounts, clear the cache, turn airplane mode on and off, and then submit the report again." SM claimed this guidance was a method to bypass the re-submission restrictions on the bulletin board.

3,368 Submissions to KWANGYA 119, 32,785 Cumulative Submissions

SM presented the circumstances of how submissions related to SEUNGHAN were concentrated on the KWANGYA 119 bulletin board in the application. The bulletin board had a restriction preventing the same post from being uploaded again within 10 minutes, but SM stated there was an account that guided users to bypass this restriction by creating multiple accounts, clearing the cache, and toggling airplane mode on and off to re-submit. SM claimed that reports were repeated in this manner.

According to the figures provided by SM, on October 15, 2024, approximately 3,368 submissions related to SEUNGHAN were classified as spam or organized posts in a single day. The cumulative submissions until August 7, 2025, are approximately 32,785. The acts and the scale of submissions questioned in the application are claims submitted by SM to the court; the original text does not state that the court separately determined that each post was indeed carried out in an organized manner.

SM also claimed that another account operator installed balloons, banners, advertising vehicles, and lighting electronic displays near the headquarters. The application included an explanation that the operator obstructed business by occupying regulated public spaces without permission, and that a significant amount of manpower was deployed to respond to the installations. The application submitted by SM to the court cited these activities as reasons why identity verification is necessary. The specific posts of the two accounts or the dates for each installation are not presented in the original text.

Demands from Fans Following the Return Announcement and Withdrawal

SEUNGHAN suspended activities in 2023 due to a privacy controversy. SM announced SEUNGHAN's return to RIIZE in October 2024, but withdrew the decision following backlash from fans, and SEUNGHAN left the team. According to reference articles, SM announced the return on October 11 and announced SEUNGHAN's departure on the 13th. At that time, RIIZE was active as a 6-member group without SEUNGHAN.

Immediately after the return announcement, funeral wreaths containing messages opposing SEUNGHAN's return were placed in front of the SM headquarters. Reference articles reported that over 300 wreaths arrived in front of the building on October 11. This is a separate action from the installation of balloons, banners, advertising vehicles, and lighting electronic displays by the account operators demanding SEUNGHAN's return, as claimed by SM in the U.S. court application. The wreaths opposing the return and the account activities demanding the return were in different directions.

SEUNGHAN's fans demanded his return to the team, an official apology, and the restoration of his reputation even after his departure. On November 5, 2024, fans released a statement through legal representatives demanding an official apology from SM and SEUNGHAN's immediate return to RIIZE. They also demanded explanations regarding the return announcement, the withdrawal, and the decision to leave. According to the original text, SM filed a civil lawsuit against the two operators prior to this discovery application, and subsequently underwent the identity verification process for the lawsuit.

Court Re-evaluation Remains if X Files an Objection

SM does not immediately confirm the identities of the account operators due to the U.S. court's acceptance decision. If X does not agree with the application, it can request a reconsideration, in which case the court must rule again. Therefore, this decision is not a result where identity data has actually been delivered to SM, but a stage where permission has been granted to proceed with discovery against X. According to the data, whether X will file an objection and the subsequent hearing schedule have not yet been presented.

The purpose of SM's identity verification is to specify the defendants in the previously filed domestic civil lawsuit. The procedures confirmed so far are the filing of the civil lawsuit at the Seoul Eastern District Court, the discovery application to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, and the acceptance decision on October 14. The next steps may vary depending on whether X requests reconsideration, and if an application is made, the court will rule again. When the identities of the account operators will be confirmed and whether the data will actually be provided is not contained in the original text.

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