In the now-vanished post, the photo depicted a man and a woman walking hand in hand, with the account claiming that the man in question was none other than RIIZE’s Anton.Accompanying the photo was a caption, “Our dear Anton-ie. When the fans were getting a bit frustrated over the fact that he didn’t show up once to Weverse while on vacation, Anton was out and about doing this. Haha. And the fans thought he had lost his cellphone while he was in NJ… LOL. RIIZE members are the same”, as reported by Koreaboo. “Had [the woman] been his mother, his named fansites would’ve uploaded this photo first. Haha. You all don’t think this is Anton? You don’t want to believe it?” the post read.
Further fueling the speculation, another account, @BBOSONGEEEEE, shared screenshots of direct messages from an anonymous source claiming to have identified the woman in the photo as “a non-celeb girl from New Jersey”, Anton’s hometown. The account also stated that they had verified the woman’s identity, ruling out the possibility of her being Anton’s mother, Shim Hye Jin.
As the online chatter intensified, RIIZE fans found themselves divided over the authenticity of the photo and its implications for Anton’s private life. Some pointed to a resurfaced tweet about Anton’s distinctive green plaid bag as potential evidence linking him to the man in the photo, while others expressed concern for the invasion of his privacy and urged SM Entertainment, the agency representing RIIZE, to intervene.
Despite the fervent speculation, neither Anton nor SM Entertainment has issued a response to the photo or the ensuing controversy. However, it’s worth noting that SM Entertainment had previously issued warnings of legal action against any violations of RIIZE members’ privacy.
