Recently, the global ARMY, the dedicated fandom of BTS, expressed its unwavering support for Suga and all seven members of BTS, indicating that their activities will continue smoothly despite recent events.
On September 10th, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office Criminal Department 2, spearheaded by Prosecutor Choo Hye-yoon, announced that Suga had been summarily indicted for violating the Road Traffic Act due to drunk driving. A summary indictment is typically sought for minor offenses, allowing the court to impose a fine or other penalties without a formal trial.
Police apprehended Suga on August 6th around 11:15 PM near his home in Hannam-dong, Seoul, after he fell off his electric scooter while intoxicated. Following this incident, Suga voluntarily attended police questioning, where he confessed to the charges. The case was subsequently transferred to prosecutors on August 30th with an application of the Road Traffic Act for drunk driving.
From the outset, Suga was met with public backlash, labeled as the “drunk scooter driver.” He faced the additional scrutiny of appearing in a police photo line during the investigation. In a second apology shared on the fan community platform Weverse, Suga conveyed, “My carelessness has caused pain to those who care for me,” pledging to “live with regret and strive to avoid making the same mistakes again.”
Nevertheless, some domestic fans demanded Suga’s removal from the group and went as far as sending funeral wreaths to HYBE’s headquarters while staging truck protests, which stirred controversy in the entertainment industry.
As of September 9th, these demands dwindled when ARMYs from 58 countries united to issue a joint statement in support of Suga and his fellow BTS members. The Global ARMY Alliance, consisting of 127 fanbases from 58 countries, declared their solidarity with all seven BTS members.
The statement emphasized, “The Global ARMY Alliance makes it clear that anti-groups hiding behind anonymity and rejecting any member do not represent ARMY,” adding, “We do not demand more responsibility from any member beyond the legal outcomes.”
While some anti-fans are attempting to rally support for Suga’s withdrawal via a survey on a portal site, the alliance clarified that this does not reflect the views of the entire ARMY. They stressed that the survey lacks identity verification or proof of membership and firmly stated, “No one has the right to impose demands on BTS regarding their future direction.”
With the fans’ declaration of support and the summary indictment, the negative sentiment surrounding the “drunk scooter” incident is gradually diminishing. Although there was initial disappointment within the global market, especially given BTS’s status as K-pop representatives, many now perceive the backlash as excessive, and trust in BTS is steadily being restored.
Source: Daum
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