BTS SUGA's media treatment: How former baseball player's drunk driving's minimal coverage and 'half-baked' apologies from news outlets sparked ARMY's fury
The CCTV footage showed that Min Yoongi caused no harm, wore a helmet, followed the designated path, and fell only while taking a sharp turn.
BTS SUGA
Does South Korea dislike or even hate BTS and its members? The past few weeks have been filled with drama regarding the coverage of rapper SUGA, a member of the world's biggest boy band, BTS. Min Yoongi, also known as AGUST D, was involved in an incident where he rode an electric scooter or kickboard under the influence of alcohol (DUI).
While CCTV footage showed that he caused no harm, wore a helmet, followed the designated path, and fell only while taking a sharp turn; media scrutiny was relentless. Some outlets even used fake CCTV footage to tarnish the idol's reputation.
However, the fandom ARMY soon realized that the hostility was primarily directed at the BTS member. Amid all the allegations against SUGA, news emerged about Jang Won-sam, a former baseball player, who also caused a collision while driving under the influence of alcohol.
Jang Won-sam's case:
At around 1 PM KST on August 17, Jang Won-sam was reversing in the left-turn lane on a road in Gwangan-dong, Suyeong-gu, Busan, when he collided with a vehicle approaching from behind. Police who arrived at the scene reportedly measured Jang's blood alcohol level, which was high enough to result in the cancellation of his driver’s license.
Despite this, South Korean publications, which had covered SUGA's incident with over 100 articles per outlet, only briefly reported on Jang Won-sam's apology. This disparity has sparked the fury of ARMY, who are questioning why the South Korean media treated the rapper more harshly than Jang Won-sam.
JTBC Newsroom's apology:
What fueled the outrage further was that JTBC Newsroom, which had mistakenly aired incorrect CCTV footage, subsequently issued a half-hearted apology.
The channel admitted their mistake, stating, "Our newsroom reported about BTS member SUGA's DUI on August 7. In the first portion of our report, we showed CCTV footage of an electric scooter passing by the main road. It was later confirmed through police investigations that the male in the video was not SUGA. We are sorry for causing confusion."
Not just JTBC Newsroom, even KOREA NOW media outlet issued an apology. They said, "We at KOREA NOW apologize to BTS Suga and viewers for mistakenly linking the star's e-scooter DUI incident with the wrong CCTV footage. We would also like to inform our audience that the news report has been removed from our channel as of Aug. 19. As we acknowledge the importance of accurate reporting, particularly when it involves public figures, KOREA NOW will pay closer attention to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. Thank You".
However, ARMY is unhappy with how South Korea has treated one of the country’s biggest bands, which not only contributes to the economy but also boosts tourism. Many fans took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to question the media outlets and their apparent bias.
Anti-fans, who seized the opportunity to send protest trucks and wreaths to HYBE, demanding SUGA's removal from BTS, proved futile as the agency reaffirmed that the group would remain intact.
Meanwhile, international fans have rallied in support of SUGA and the other six members—Kim Namjoon, Kim Seokjin, Jung Hoseok, Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung, and Jeon Jungkook—amid reports that media outlets are attempting to overshadow the incident by trying to post positive coverage of the other members.
Updated: August 19, 2024 01:08 PM IST
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