K-pop Fans are Demanding for Suga’s Withdrawal from BTS After Drunk Driving Scandal

On August 6, Suga, a member of BTS, allegedly drove an electric scooter under the influence. A police officer found Suga lying on the ground at 11:27 p.m. Due to the smell of alcohol, the officer took him to a nearby station, where his blood alcohol content was measured at 0.227%, well above the 0.08% threshold for license revocation.

The law applies to car and electric scooter drivers. Violators could face a maximum prison sentence of five years or a fine of up to 20 million won (RM65,040) if their blood alcohol content is 0.2% or higher.

According to the latest update by The Korea Times, Suga is to be questioned by the police. The day after the incident, Suga released a statement admitting to drinking alcohol before riding the electric scooter but claiming that he was unaware that he was breaking the law. The upcoming investigation will likely focus on whether the 31-year-old was aware he was violating the Road Traffic Act.

Korean news channel JTBC released a video of Suga riding a scooter, which showed the vehicle he was riding. A keen-eyed netizen claims that Suga claimed to be riding a small electric scooter but was riding a bigger scooter resembling a motorcycle, although this is unconfirmed.

what suga lied about what he was driving vs what he was actually driving https://t.co/itHBIZC9Cz pic.twitter.com/aVcPmKtswP
— ً (@yslpinks) August 7, 2024

Numerous Korean fans are now calling for Suga’s withdrawal from the K-pop mega group. Numerous hashtags calling for him to leave trended on Twitter in Korea.

Image Credit: Instiz.net

More than 20 flower wreaths were also sent to HYBE’s building, BTS’ entertainment company. One wreath had the accompanying words, “Min Yoongi withdraw, congratulations on your crash”. Min Yoongi is Suga's birth name.

One of BTS’ largest and most influential fan sites, ARMY52Hz, which provided various information on music releases and linked to the most popular streaming sites, has also been shut down following the controversy.

Some fans are defending his actions, but others are slamming the supportive ARMYs (BTS fans), saying, “Insane how Army defend a drunk Suga operating a motorcycle where innocent people could have died from his reckless & irresponsible behaviour because Yoongi got lucky and didn't injure anyone or himself. THIS TIME.”

There is a heated debate within the fandom between those who support Suga and those who want him to leave BTS. What do you think of the issue?

Featured Image Credit: @agustd, Allkpop