Samsung Considers Ending BTS Ambassador Contract? “Difficult Unless Suga Leaves the Group”

The Korea Herald reported on the 28th that an insider at Samsung Electronics mentioned, “Choosing a brand ambassador who has been involved in a social controversy poses a major risk, regardless of their fan base. It is important to carefully consider this decision.”

The informant also stated, “Despite this, Suga will not be promptly eliminated from the advertisements as the contract is with the entire BTS group. Unless Suga departs from the group, it is challenging to take immediate measures. We must continue to monitor the situation.”

On the 17th, Samsung Electronics’ German branch removed a promotional photo from their official X (formerly Twitter) account featuring Suga holding a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. The photo had been shared on the 15th and 16th, but was taken down due to objections from both domestic and international BTS fans (known as ARMY). They argued that it was not appropriate for Suga to continue appearing in advertisements following the incident involving drunk driving.

The collaboration between Samsung and BTS was established in February 2020. BTS has been fulfilling the role of international ambassadors for Samsung smartphones, debuting BTS-inspired versions of the Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy Buds+.

In August 2022, a joint video featuring BTS and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 was displayed on the renowned screens of Times Square in New York. Suga also attended the Galaxy Unpacked event in Seoul the previous year.

On the night of August 6th, Suga was discovered on a street in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul after falling off an electric scooter. A police officer who happened to be nearby helped him, and a breathalyzer test showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.227%, indicating severe intoxication.

Suga is currently serving as a public service worker after enlisting for basic military training at the Nonsan Training Center in Chungcheongnam-do in March. He is expected to be discharged in June of next year.

The source of this information is from Nate, which can be found at https://news.nate.com/view/20240828n37842?mid=n1008.