"Various False Reports, Sugar's Defamation"
Foreign media reported that the press coverage of BTS member Suga (Min Yoon-gi), who was booked on charges of riding an electric scooter while intoxicated, has gone too far.
The French weekly magazine Paris Match published an article on the 22nd (local time) titled "False Reports and Pressures... What Is Happening to BTS's Suga?" expressing concern that Suga has been excessively targeted by the Korean media over the past few weeks. The article also suggested that the Korean media seemed to have forgotten the tragedy of actor Go (the late) Lee Sun-kyun.
The outlet claimed that when Suga was being investigated by the police, some media threatened that if he did not stand at the photo line, they would make things harder for him, citing reports that said, "The photo line is not a guillotine; you must show your face in front of the cameras and apologize." It also pointed out that rumors about ARMY's drinking challenges, false reports about CCTV footage, and misinformation about the suspension of special leave for social service personnel team leaders were all articles that damaged Suga's reputation.
Earlier, JTBC sparked controversy by broadcasting CCTV footage showing someone other than Suga riding the electric scooter while reporting on Suga's electric scooter drunk driving incident.
Paris Match stated, "Suga admitted to irresponsibly riding the electric scooter, and in a situation where no one denies the dangers of riding electric scooters in the city, it is hard to understand why reporters are so persistent." The media also claimed that Korean media are trying to find out about Suga's future TV appearances and potential advertisement withdrawals, creating an atmosphere demanding his departure from BTS. They questioned, "How can HYBE, BTS's agency, explain to the United States?the birthplace of the star system and scandals?that the world's most popular group had to disband because of articles related to an electric scooter with a seat?"
The article also linked the case to actor Lee Sun-kyun, famous for the movie Parasite. It argued that because Korea demands "flawless stars," the media targeted Lee Sun-kyun with all kinds of reports, some of which were close to conspiracies.
However, the continued references to the electric scooter as an "electric kickboard" after the accident and the explanation that he "had just one beer" despite being heavily intoxicated were pointed out as sufficient to fuel controversy. HYBE's apology was also criticized for seeming to downplay the incident.
On the 7th, Suga was found by police after falling while riding an electric scooter in a drunken state on the streets of Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. At the time, Suga's blood alcohol concentration was 0.227%, far exceeding the license cancellation level of 0.08%. When blood alcohol concentration exceeds 0.2%, penalties are increased, and if convicted, the sentence can be 2 to 5 years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won. Suga appeared at the police station on the 23rd, 17 days after the incident, was questioned for about three hours, and then released.
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