BTS has been embroiled in controversy as group member and rapper Suga was fined and had his license revoked for driving an electric vehicle while intoxicated. A few hours later, both Suga and BTS agency BigHit Music released statements apologizing for the incident. However, this is not the first time BTS has found itself in controversy. Over the past decade, the group has faced similar situations several times for which BTS and their agency have apologized to fans. (Read this also | BTS agency apologizes again for ‘rushing to make statement’ and giving wrong information regarding Suga’s drunk driving case,
1) Suga and drunk driving
On the night of July 6 this year, Suga was riding an electric kickboard scooter after drinking alcohol at dinner. He fell while parking. A police officer spotted him and gave him a Breathalyzer test, which Suga failed, leading to his license being revoked and a fine being imposed on him. Seoul’s Yongsan Police Station reportedly charged him with violating the Road Traffic Act. BigHit Music and Suga, whose real name is Min Yoongi, released an apology on Weverse.
Part of his statement read, “I was complacent thinking it was a short distance, not realizing I was not allowed to drive an electric scooter while drunk, which was breaking the Road Traffic Act.” This happened while Suga is serving his mandatory military service as a social service agent from September 2023. Such agents usually work during regular working hours and are allowed to return home after working hours.
2) BTS members wore clothes and other items with Nazi imagery
On November 13, 2018, BigHit Music (then Big Hit Entertainment) released a statement and apologized after some BTS members wore shirts with images of atomic bombs and hats with Nazi symbolism in old photo shoots and used flags with Nazi imagery during a performance at a concert they attended. A part of the statement is as follows“We sincerely apologize for potentially causing discomfort due to our artists’ presence associated with the image of the atomic bomb… Our artists have to deal with a variety of events and site conditions and the above issues are not their responsibility.”
It also read, “The performance became an issue because it was said to be related to Nazism. This is not true at all, and in fact the performance was intended to criticize that kind of totalitarian reality… Once again, we apologize to those who have been hurt by our lack of handling of these issues. Big Hit will take the following steps to resolve these issues: First, we are contacting the atomic bomb victims associations in Japan and Korea to explain the issues raised and apologize. We have also sent a letter to the Simon Wiesenthal Center explaining the situation and apologizing.” [a Jewish human rights group],
3) Photos of Jungkook with a woman
In 2019, during BTS’s vacation, CCTV photos were leaked showing Jungkook spending time with a female friend, Lee Mi-joo. This started rumors of them dating. BTS’s agency denied the rumors and even sued the person who leaked the photos for violation of personal information and defamation. During BTS’s Bon Voyage 4, Jungkook had a segment where he apologized to fans. Quoted by scmp.comHe had said, “I am very sorry to the fans. I still feel guilty about it.” He also promised not to disappoint the fans.
4) BTS’s misogynistic lyrics
In 2016, BTS’ agency addresses controversy over misogynistic lyrics in his songs such as Hormone War and R.M. Joke. As reported by allkpop.comBig Hit wrote on the official fan cafe, “Big Entertainment and BTS acknowledge that since late 2015, there has been controversy over misogyny in BTS’ lyrics, and after reviewing the lyrics once again, we discovered that a portion of the theme could be misunderstood as criticizing women, which was not the intention when writing and made people uncomfortable.”
It also added, “Big Hit Entertainment and everyone at BTS are deeply sorry to all fans, as well as to those who feel uncomfortable because of BTS’ lyrics… and we will proactively refer to such comments and issues in the future during the writing process.”
5) Suga’s mixtape controversy
In 2020, BigHit Music releases a statement about Suga’s mixtape D-2–Vocal sample of the introductory address in the track What do you think? The agency had said that the song was selected by the producer and that the company then “checked the suitability of the content according to its internal process”.
It stated that “an error occurred in the selection and inspection process, being unable to recognize the inappropriate nature of the sample and including it in the track”. It added, “We apologize to those who have been offended, or felt uncomfortable because of it. After investigating the problem, Big Hit immediately removed the relevant part and re-released the track. The artist himself is also upset by the problem arising from an unexpected area, and feels deep responsibility about it.”
About BTS, album, military service
BTS was formed in 2010 and debuted in 2013 with the single album 2 Cool 4 Skool under Big Hit Entertainment. The group consists of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook. They have released several albums, such as Dark & ​​Wild, Wake Up, Wings, Love Yourself: Tear (2018), Love Yourself: Answer (2018) and Soul: 7 (2020), among others. They have released several singles, such as Savage Love, Life Goes On, Butter and Permission to Dance.
On June 14, 2022, the group announced a scheduled break in group activities so the members could complete their 18-month mandatory South Korean military service, with a reunion planned for 2025. The oldest member, Jin, enlisted on December 13, 2022; the others joined in 2023.
