BTS is mired in controversy as group member and rapper Suga was fined and got his license revoked for driving an electric vehicle while intoxicated. Hours later, both Suga and BTS agency BigHit Music issued statements apologising for the incident. However, this isn’t the first time that BTS has found itself in a row. In the last decade, the group has faced such situations several times for which BTS as well their agency apologised to fans. (Also Read | BTS agency apologises again for ‘rushing to make statement’ on Suga’s drunk driving case, conveying misinformation)
1) Suga and drunk driving
On July 6 night this year, Suga was driving an electric kickboard scooter after consuming alcohol at dinner. He fell down while parking it. A police officer spotted him and administered a breathalyzer test which Suga failed, leading to his license being revoked and a fine. Yongsan Police Station in Seoul reportedly booked him for violating the Road Traffic Act. BigHit Music and Suga, whose real name is Min Yoongi, issued apology notes on Weverse.
A part of his statement read, “I thought complacently that it was a short distance, not realizing I was not allowed to ride the electric scooter while intoxicated, breaking the road traffic act.” This comes even as Suga has been doing his mandatory military service as a social service agent since September 2023. Such agents typically work regular work hours and are allowed to return home after work hours.
2) BTS members wore Nazi imagery outfits, accessories
On November 13, 2018, BigHit Music (then Big Hit Entertainment) issued a statement and apologised after some BTS members wore a shirt with imagery of an atomic bomb and hats with Nazi symbolism in old photo shoots and used flags with Nazi imagery during a performance at a concert in which they participated. A part of the statement read, “We sincerely apologise for potentially causing discomfort through the appearance of our artists being connected with atomic bomb imagery…Our artists have to deal with many schedules and site conditions and the responsibility for the above issues does not lie with them.”
It also read, “The performance became an issue because it was said that it was related to Nazism. This is not true at all, and in fact the performance was meant to criticize that kind of totalitarian reality…Once again, we apologise to the people who were hurt by our lack in dealing with these issues. Big Hit will take the following steps in order to resolve these issues: first, we are contacting the atomic bomb victim associations in Japan and Korea to explain and apologise for the problems that have been raised. We have also sent a letter explaining and apologising for the situation to the Simon Wiesenthal Center [a Jewish human rights group].”
3) Jungkook’s pics with a woman
In 2019, during BTS’ holiday, CCTV images got leaked, which showed Jungkook spending time with a female friend, Lee Mi-joo. This started their dating rumours. BTS’ agency denied the rumours and even sued the person who leaked the photos for violation of personal information and defamation. During BTS’ Bon Voyage 4, Jungkook had a segment where he apologised to fans. As quoted by scmp.com, he had said, “I’m very sorry to the fans. I still feel guilty about it.” He also promised to not let the fans down.
4) BTS’ misogynistic lyrics
In 2016, BTS’ agency addressed a controversy about misogynistic lyrics in their songs such as Hormone War and RM’s Joke. As reported by allkpop.com, Big Hit wrote on the official fan cafe, “Big Entertainment and BTS acknowledge that since the end of 2015, there’s been a controversy regarding the misogyny in BTS’s lyrics, and after reviewing the lyrics once again, we found out that a portion of the substance could be misunderstood to criticize women, which was not intended when it was being written, and made people uncomfortable.”
“Big Hit Entertainment and all of BTS are extremely apologetic toward all of the fans as well as the people who felt uncomfortable because of BTS’s lyrics…and we will continually refer back to such comments and problems in the future during the writing process,” it also added.
5) Suga’s mixtape row
In 2020, BigHit Music issued a statement about Suga’s mixtape D-2–the 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 the company then “proceeded to check the appropriateness of the content according to its internal process”.
It added that there was an “error in the selection and inspection process, being unable to recognise the inappropriate nature of the sample and including it in the track”. It added, “We apologise to those who were hurt by this, or felt uncomfortable due to it. After checking the problem, Big Hit immediately deleted the relevant part and rereleased the track. The artist himself is also feeling flustered by a problem arising from an unexpected area, and is feeling a deep sense of responsibility regarding it.”
About BTS, albums, military service
BTS was formed in 2010 and debuted in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment with the single album 2 Cool 4 Skool. The group consists of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. They have released many 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 many singles, such as Savage Love, Life Goes On, Butter, and Permission to Dance.
On June 14, 2022, the group announced a scheduled pause in group activities to enable the members to complete their 18 months of mandatory South Korean military service, with a reunion planned for 2025. Jin, the oldest member, enlisted on December 13, 2022; the others followed in 2023.