BTS fans call for Suga's departure with satirical posts, protest wreaths
A number of photos of wreaths demanding BTS member Suga depart from the group are posted on X on Tuesday. Captured from X
By KTimes
Video released of Suga crashing scooter while drunk
BTS member Suga (Min Yoon-gi) was recently found driving an electric scooter while intoxicated and is now facing a backlash. Protest wreaths calling for his departure have appeared, alongside a surge of satirical posts from netizens mocking his actions and questioning his behavior as a social service agent. This role usually follows a regular daily work schedule, enabling him to return home after work hours.
Photos of around 20 flower wreaths placed in front of HYBE's headquarters in Yongsan District, Seoul, were shared on X and various online communities.
The wreaths carried messages such as "Min Yoon-gi, leave BTS," "Resign voluntarily for drunk driving (Suga)," and "Aren’t you even sorry to the fans?" Some wreaths included sarcastic messages like, "Why do you make the news with your personal life?" and "Congrats on your downfall."
It has not been confirmed whether these wreaths were officially sent by the fans of BTS who are known as "ARMY." However, it is believed that fans who insist Suga should leave BTS attached their own messages to the wreaths and had them sent to HYBE's building.
Online posts mocking Suga’s drunk driving incident have been spreading. One viral post compared Suga's reported blood alcohol level of 0.227 percent to South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok’s final jump at the 2024 Paris Olympics (2.27m).
A bar graph comparing Suga’s blood alcohol level to those of other celebrities previously involved in drunk driving scandals has also been circulating.
Suga was caught driving an electric scooter while intoxicated in Hannam-dong, Yongsan, Seoul, on Aug. 6. The police determined his blood alcohol level at the scene of the incident to be 0.227 percent, well above the 0.08 percent threshold that is needed for a driver's license to be canceled.
A bar graph image compares Suga's blood alcohol concentration level (0.227 percent) during his recent DUI incident to Woo Sang-hyeok's 2.27-meter jump in the men's high jump final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Captured from online community
Suga faces resurfaced allegations of negligence during alternative service
Suga has been serving as a social service agent since September last year, with his discharge from the military service scheduled for June next year. However, news of his drunk driving incident has reignited past controversies over his conduct during his service.
A post on Gongik Ingan, an app commonly used by social service agents, claimed that Suga had been negligent during his basic training. This post, originally shared in November of last year, has resurfaced in various online communities.
Although the authenticity of the account has not been confirmed, the timing of the post aligns with when Suga was reported to be undergoing training.
The original poster on Gongik Ingan alleged that Suga did not participate actively in the training and displayed an uncooperative attitude, saying, "During training, Suga would wake up, look at his phone, and then go back to sleep. His participation rate was the lowest."
A post alleging that Suga displayed an uncooperative attitude during his training period as a social service agent last year is uploaded on the social service agent app Gongik Ingan. Captured from online community
Video released of Suga crashing scooter
Meanwhile, a video has been released showing Suga crashing into a curb while driving an electric scooter in a heavily intoxicated state. On Tuesday, Yonhap News TV exclusively aired CCTV footage showing Suga riding an electric scooter on the sidewalk while intoxicated.
The video was recorded at around 11:10 p.m. on Aug. 6 and shows Suga riding the scooter northbound on a street in Hannam-dong.
While riding on the sidewalk, Suga collided with the curb and fell. Patrol officers who were nearby discovered Suga and called for backup from a nearby police station. A patrol car arrived within 10 minutes, and a breathalyzer test was conducted.
The test revealed that Suga’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.227 percent, indicating that he was heavily intoxicated.
Footage of Suga driving an electric scooter while heavily intoxicated has been released. Captured from Yonhap News TV
Suga told the police that he had "just had one beer and drove for a short while." Due to his intoxicated state, the police were unable to conduct a thorough investigation at the time and only administered the breathalyzer test before sending him home. The electric scooter Suga was riding was not confiscated.
The police plan to formally summon Suga for a more detailed investigation.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by staff of The Korea Times.