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On August 16, 2024, protest trucks demanding BTS' Min Yoongi aka Suga's withdrawal from the group were spotted outside the HYBE headquarters. Reportedly, some Korean BTS fans sent these protest trucks, claiming that the Grammy-nominated musician disappointed them and tarnished the band's reputation due to his DUI incident.
For the unversed, on August 7, Yoongi was embroiled in a DUI case for drunk driving a foldable electric scooter. The rapper immediately apologized via Weverse letter for breaking the Road Act Traffic law and said he was fined for his actions. However, the public backlash towards the D-DAY artist was severe.
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Meanwhile, Allkpop reported that the protest trucks displayed several slogans such as "Today is D-Day when drunk driver SUGA leaves BTS," "7-1=6. ARMY will fill in the gap, so drunk driver SUGA OUT," "SUGA is a drunk driver. A criminal should leave the group," "HYBE harbors criminals, while SUGA hides behind his company," among others.
However, it is important to note that it hasn't been confirmed if the protest trucks were sent by BTS ARMY or by individuals impersonating them.
Netizens sent protest trucks outside HYBE after sending wreaths earlier demanding Suga's removal from BTS
Previously on August 13, several netizens sent flower wreaths outside HYBE, demanding the removal of BTS' Min Yoongi from the group. They claimed to be BTS fans, who felt wronged due to the artist's drunk driving incident.
Later, the band's fandom mass-trended hashtags on X like "ARMY did not send the Wreaths," and more, clarifying that the protest trucks were not sent by genuine BTS fans but by netizens impersonating the ARMY.
Kyunghang Shinmun reported on August 13 that the netizen who organized the flower wreaths protest said they would send trucks if HYBE did not remove BTS' Min Yoongi.
“If there is no additional statement from Big Hit Music, we will also consider a truck protest.”
On August 14, 2024, HYBE reportedly commented on the subject and said that rumors of Yoongi's removal are "nonsense." South Korean media outlet YTN reportedly published the company's statement, however, later deleted the article. Koreaboo reported the news before YTN deleted it, where HYBE said,
"Talk of Suga leaving BTS is nonsense. We will apologize and work harder to resolve the conflict among fans."
Fans were enraged over Korean media deleting HYBE's comment and not reporting the news amidst Yoongi's ongoing controversy. Fans flooded social media stating that they have screenshots of all the articles and deleting them won't help the cause.
They also demanded that K-media outlets such as JTBC, Yonhap News, Chosun, Ten Asia, and SBS, apologize to the BTS idol for falsifying facts. Additionally, JTBC also released fake CCTV footage of someone speeding on the road driving a motorized scooter, alleging that it was BTS' Yoongi. Later, JTBC confirmed that the video was inauthentic.
ARMY continues to show their support towards Min Yoongi amidst his DUI controversy where he was penalized for driving a remote-controlled electric kickboard/scooter. The device had no engine or ignition and was classified as a personal mobility device.
However, on August 15, JTBC reported that Yoongi might be summoned for further police investigation.
