BTS ARMY rejects K-media photo requests ahead of SUGA’s police appearance over DUI incident

BTS’ SUGA will appear before police over DUI, with ARMY releasing statement calling for media to respect his privacy.

BTS member SUGA, also known as Min Yoongi, is expected to appear before the police on 22 August in connection with a drunk-driving incident involving an electric scooter. 

The incident occurred on 6 August in the Hannam-dong area of Yongsan District, Seoul, while SUGA was on a break from his duties as a social worker in the South Korean military. He reportedly drove home on an electric scooter after consuming alcohol at a dinner with friends. His blood alcohol level was recorded at 0.227%, significantly exceeding South Korea's legal limit of 0.08%, which is grounds for licence revocation.

Under South Korean law, electric scooters are classified as "motorised bicycles" and fall under the category of vehicles. As such, operating one while intoxicated is considered a criminal offence, leading to SUGA’s current legal troubles. He is expected to make a private appearance without media coverage.

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Ahead of his appearance, BTS ARMY, the fanbase of the globally popular group, released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, expressing support for SUGA. The statement, shared with hashtags #ARMYShieldsBTS and #ARMYStandsWithSuga, highlighted their pride in SUGA's cooperation with the investigation and rejected the need for photographs, deeming the written apology he issued the day after the incident sufficient.

The incident also saw a mix-up in the media, with a well-known K-media outlet apologising on 16 August for airing incorrect CCTV footage, which had caused confusion. SUGA and his label, BIGHIT MUSIC, have since addressed the matter, with SUGA publicly apologising and BIGHIT MUSIC pledging their support.