#FakeChallenge: BTS’ ARMY misinformation controversy following SUGA’s DUI incident

Rival K-pop fans create a misleading trend on social media, falsely implicating BTS’ ARMY in promoting drunk driving.

BTS’ SUGA, known offstage as Min Yoongi, has recently become the subject of a troubling social media trend following his involvement in a drunk-driving incident on August 6.

Initially, reports from various Korean media outlets suggested that BTS’s fanbase, ARMY, was behind the controversial #SugaChallenge, a trend that appeared to glorify drunk driving. However, it has since emerged that this narrative was misleading and that the trend was, in fact, orchestrated by fans of other K-pop groups.

The incident itself involved SUGA being booked for driving under the influence (DUI) while operating an electric scooter. As legal complications mount over whether the scooter met the criteria for a personal mobility device, attention has shifted online, where opposing fan groups have used the incident to discredit both SUGA and ARMY.

The #SugaChallenge, which spread rapidly on X (formerly known as Twitter), involved users posting images of people holding alcohol behind the wheel, falsely implicating ARMY in promoting dangerous behaviour. A deeper investigation into the accounts spreading the trend revealed that fans of groups such as BLACKPINK, NewJeans, and aespa were responsible for the challenge, using fake BTS fan profiles to amplify their posts.

The lack of ethics & professionalism is disgusting bec there's no way those k-journalists couldn't identify the tips sent by antis as misinformation when it's this easy to find

IT WAS A SETUP#koreanmediabeprofessional#FAKECHALLENGE#Its_Not_ARMY#조작된챌린지 #진짜아미아님 pic.twitter.com/2ygpxmYcM8

— yoonreem🥢 (semi- hiatus) (@yoongareem) August 11, 2024

In response to this targeted misinformation, ARMY launched counter-trends like #FAKECHALLENGE and #KoreanMediaBeProfessional to clarify the situation and call out the inaccurate reporting. Despite the negative press, SUGA, who has apologised and expressed his intent to cooperate with the authorities, continues to receive support from his global fanbase.

IT WAS A SETUP!#FAKECHALLENGE#Its_Not_ARMY#조작된챌린지 #진짜아미아님#KoreanMediaBeProfessionalpic.twitter.com/lMlBVcRxPR pic.twitter.com/RdIMwubWfF

— Rize⁷ (kinda ia) (@rize07addict) August 11, 2024

As SUGA serves his mandatory military service, ARMY remains vigilant against attempts to tarnish his and BTS's reputation, reaffirming their loyalty with the message, "BTS IS SEVEN," ahead of the group’s planned return in 2025.