BTS’s Suga Drunk Driving Incident Sparks ‘Suga Challenge’ Controversy...
Claims of “Anti-Fan Impersonation” Emerge
A new controversy has emerged on social media regarding BTS member Suga's recent drunk driving incident, with posts tagged as the 'Suga Challenge' gaining attention. These posts, criticized for encouraging drunk driving, show people drinking alcohol in cars or while driving.
The 'Suga Challenge' posts often include images of individuals holding alcohol bottles inside vehicles or consuming alcohol while driving, accompanied by captions like "I will always support Suga," "I’ll stand by him no matter what," and "If my favorite person goes to jail, I’ll follow them."
In response, BTS fans have strongly condemned these posts, claiming that the challenge was created and spread by some overseas anti-fans to mock Suga, insisting that the true fans would never engage in such behavior.
Meanwhile, Suga was caught by the police on August 6th near his residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, after falling off an electric scooter.
Initially, his blood alcohol content was reported to be 0.08%, which is above the license revocation threshold, but it was later confirmed to be 0.227%.
Big Hit Music initially stated that Suga only used the electric scooter for about 500 meters, but it was later revealed that he was riding an electric moped, leading to suspicions of downplaying the incident. The agency denied any cover-up, attributing the mistake to internal communication errors.
The police did not recognize Suga as a BTS member at the time, and due to his intoxicated state, they only conducted a breathalyzer test and allowed him to return home.
They plan to summon Suga again for further investigation.
Suga is currently serving as a social service agent, and since the incident occurred outside of his working hours, no additional disciplinary action is expected.
The Military Manpower Administration stated, "A social service agent is not subject to status-related penalties for incidents occurring outside of working hours."
This incident is expected to spark further discussions on the social responsibilities of celebrities, fan culture, and the spread of misinformation through social media. All eyes are on how Suga and his agency will respond and what impact this incident may have on BTS and the K-pop industry.
