Yoon Hee-jun, head of SM Entertainment's center, revealed the casting behind RIIZE Wonbin. On the March 4th broadcast of the tvN variety show 'You Quiz on the Block,' Yoon Hee-jun appeared and explained SM's casting process. Drawing on his 22 years of experience producing idols, he shared various stories.

During the broadcast, Yoo Jae-suk mentioned rumors about SM's casting team, saying they even cast while taking a taxi. Yoon Hee-jun responded, "We do that sometimes, but these days we often discover talent through SNS." He introduced the case of RIIZE Wonbin being cast through SNS.

Yoon Hee-jun explained the situation at the time, saying, "When Wonbin came from Ulsan to Seoul for an audition, I went to meet him at Seoul Station and brought him because I was worried another agency might snatch him away." When Yoo Jae-suk confirmed the story about picking him up at Seoul Station, Yoon Hee-jun said, "Even if it's not Seoul Station, when they come to Seoul, other companies might see them first, so I tell my staff to 'go and bring them back no matter what.'"

Recalling that time, Wonbin said, "I was just going home from school when I got a DM. Somehow, I felt drawn to it." He added, "As soon as I arrived at Seoul Station to audition, they put a mask on me and took me away." He shared his initial confusion upon arriving in Seoul.

Yoon Hee-jun revealed about SM's casting method, "As soon as I applied and joined the casting department, I went straight to the field. The person I personally cast was EXO's Chanyeol." He added that in the past, they cast in front of schools and even got off taxis to cast.

During the broadcast, Yoon Hee-jun emphasized, "These days, we target SNS. RIIZE Wonbin is a case where we cast by sending a DM." He explained that SNS provides opportunities to discover more potential artists.

Wonbin's first self-introduction video from 2019 was also revealed during the broadcast. He proudly showed his warm appearance before debut and spoke honestly about his experience at the time. Wonbin said, "As soon as I arrived, they put a mask on me and told me to cover my name tag, so I was scared and confused."

Yoon Hee-jun explained how SM's casting process has changed from the past to the present and stated plans to discover talent through various methods in the future. He emphasized SM's philosophy, saying, "Nurturing idols and deciding debut members is very important."

The broadcast provided interesting insights into SM's idol discovery process through Yoon Hee-jun's experience and RIIZE Wonbin's casting story. It served as an opportunity for many viewers to better understand SM's casting methods.