Scandal Shakes K-Pop: Suga’s Drunk Driving Incident Sparks Outrage and Calls for Departure from BTS
Recently, the K-Pop community was shaken by a scandal involving rapper Suga of BTS. It was reported that around 11 PM on August 6, Suga was found alone after falling while riding an electric scooter on the side of the road in Hannam-dong, Yongsan, Seoul. Upon testing for alcohol, his blood alcohol level was found to be above the legal limit for driving (over 0.08%).
Quickly, Big Hit Music, Suga’s management company, and Suga issued a statement admitting the mistake and apologizing. However, they were immediately accused of lying to downplay the severity of the incident.
Specifically, Suga and Big Hit Music claimed that the vehicle Suga was using was an “electric kickboard” (a scooter without a seat). However, this statement was contradicted by the police, who stated that the vehicle was an “electric scooter” (a scooter with a seat), which resembled an electric moped.
Additionally, there were some objections to Big Hit’s statements. In their post, the company mentioned that Suga traveled a short distance of about 500 meters, but in reality, after verification and comparison, the distance Suga traveled could be up to 2.8 kilometers. As a result, both Suga and his management company faced severe backlash. The outcry was so strong that Suga was urged to leave the group. On theqoo, Korean audiences commented:
“Suga, leave the group.”
“Suga should leave the group if he cares about the other members.”
“Driving under the influence is attempted murder.”
“All idols who drive drunk should leave their groups.”
“Committing a crime isn’t enough, he also lied about it. Leave the group. I don’t want to see you anymore. At least there were no accidents.”
As of now, the incident shows no signs of calming down. Will Suga, along with the famous group BTS, be able to overcome this major crisis?
