290,000 Fan Accounts Disappear, BTS Suga’s Drunk Driving Causes Fandom Rift

On the 13th, it was confirmed that a BTS fan account with 290,000 followers disappeared from X (previously known as Twitter).

The account, formerly known as the “BTS Music Information Team,”shared a post on X on the 9th, urging for a prompt resolution to the situation. The post, which condemned the impact of Suga’s drunk driving scandal on BTS members, rapidly gained attention with 26 million views.

Despite facing backlash from certain ARMYs (BTS’s fandom), the post received negative comments such as, “Is this even worth the attention of the Music Information Team?””Seems excessive,”and “They’re blowing this out of proportion.”As a result of the criticism, the account’s followers decreased by 10,000, reaching a total of 280,000.

On the same day, certain ARMYs initiated a full-scale attack using hashtags demanding Suga’s resignation, but these hashtags were all removed at once. As of 11 PM on the 12th, the hashtags ‘#MinYoongi_Resignation’, ‘#DrunkDriver_MinYoongi_Resign’, and ‘#SUGA_Resign’ were all trending at 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place respectively. It is speculated by netizens that these hashtags were taken down due to a coordinated reporting effort by a group of hardcore ARMYs.

On the 7th, it was announced by the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul that Suga was being investigated for breaking road traffic laws (drunk driving). The previous day, Suga was discovered in the Yongsan area, inebriated and alone, after falling off an electric scooter.

Despite releasing an official statement through his agency Big Hit Music, Suga faced backlash for downplaying the incident by referring to the electric scooter as a “motorized scooter”and minimizing the distance traveled as “500 meters in a straight line.”Furthermore, their statement claimed that there were “no personal or property damages,”further fueling criticism.

Additionally, it was disclosed by the Yongsan Police Station on the 9th that Suga’s blood alcohol level during the time of the event was 0.227%, disproving his statement of only drinking “one beer”and reigniting the debate.