On September 10th, Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office Criminal Department 2 (led by Prosecutor Choo Hye-yoon) announced that Suga had been summarily indicted on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving). A summary indictment is requested when the charge is relatively minor, asking the court to issue a summary order for a fine or other penalties without a formal trial.
Suga was discovered by police on August 6th at approximately 11:15 PM, near his residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, having fallen off his electric scooter while intoxicated. He was subsequently booked. After voluntarily appearing for police questioning, Suga admitted to the charges, and the police applied the Road Traffic Act for drunk driving before transferring the case to prosecutors on August 30th.
From the moment he was caught, Suga faced public criticism under the label of “drunk scooter driver.” He was also subjected to the humiliation of appearing in front of a police photo line during the investigation. In his second apology, posted on the fan community platform Weverse, Suga expressed, “My carelessness has caused pain to those who care for me,” and vowed, “I will live with regret and strive not to make the same mistakes again.“
Despite this, some domestic fans demanded Suga’s departure from the group. They sent funeral wreaths to HYBE’s headquarters and staged truck protests, creating a stir in the entertainment industry.
However, these demands subsided on September 9th when ARMYs from 58 countries issued a joint statement of support. The Global ARMY Alliance, comprising 127 fanbases from 58 countries, released a statement declaring their support for all seven members of BTS.
The statement emphasized, “The Global ARMY Alliance makes it clear that anti-groups hiding behind anonymity, which reject any member, do not represent ARMY,” adding, “We do not demand more responsibility from any member beyond the legal results.”
While some anti-fans are gathering support for Suga’s withdrawal through a portal site’s survey function, the alliance clarified that this does not represent ARMY. The Global ARMY Alliance pointed out that the survey lacks any identity verification or proof of being an ARMY member 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 views surrounding the “drunk scooter” incident are gradually subsiding. Although there was initial disappointment in the global market, given BTS’s role as representatives of K-pop, some now believe the criticism was excessive, and trust in BTS is slowly being restored.
Source: Daum
