What is BTS’ Purple Ribbon Project? ARMYs revive initiative amid ongoing allegations surrounding Suga’s DUI reports

On August 14, 2024, BTS rapper Min Yoon-gi, also known as Suga, became a trending topic on X (formerly Twitter) as fans rallied with hashtags such as #BTSPurpleRibbonProject to express their support amidst the recent DUI controversy.

The project, first launched by the BTS fandom in 2018, involved creating a boundary at airports with a long purple ribbon to manage crowd control and minimize chaos when BTS members arrived.

The project debuted on May 14, 2018, when BTS arrived at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for the Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs).

The fans resurrected the Purple Ribbon Project, generating nearly 149,000 posts at the time of writing, to counteract the negativity against Suga, particularly from detractors.

The attention followed reports of Suga driving an electric scooter under the influence of alcohol. Since then many controversies have erupted over differences in the electric vehicle details and anti-fans seemingly trolling the situation by creating #SugaChallenge, and sharing themselves driving under the influence.

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Fans of BTS' Suga come together for the 2024 Purple Ribbon Project

BTS' Suga has recently faced criticism from various netizens following reports of him allegedly driving his scooter under the influence on August 6. Although the investigation is still ongoing, the idol has been subject to numerous accusations and misleading information.

In order to counter the misleading information and trolling on social media, BTS ARMY at large decided to revive the 2018 Purple Ribbon Project.

The 2024 iteration of the Purple Ribbon Project encourages fans to show their support by creating posts using specific hashtags, such as #SnoozeTheHate, #BTSISPARADISE, and #ARMYShieldsBTS.

Fans are urged to share anything related to these hashtags, including writing about how BTS is their haven, quoting favorite lyrics from songs like Snooze or Paradise, and sharing memes or words from BTS that help them overcome negativity and find peace.

The original Purple Ribbon Project was launched by the BTS ARMY in 2018 to protect the members from chaotic and potentially dangerous situations at the airport, where fan excitement often leads to overwhelming crowds.

The color purple, which holds special significance to both BTS and their fans, was chosen for the ribbon used to create a barrier around the group. This color was given its meaning by BTS member V (Kim Tae-hyung), who once said:

“Purple is the last colour of the rainbow, so it means I will trust and love you for a long time.”

The project was successful in helping manage the crowd and ensuring the safety of the group. The members of BTS have often acknowledged and appreciated this initiative.

For instance, Taehyung even participated in a photoshoot featuring the purple ribbon as part of one of the projects.

Furthermore, after they arrived at LAX in 2018, they appeared on Access Hollywood for an interview. When asked about the craziest thing fans have done to meet them, RM (Kim Nam-joon) described the Purple Ribbon Project as an "amazing" gesture.

He explained how fans tied purple ribbons all around the airport to ensure the group’s safety, expressing his admiration for the thoughtful and protective action taken by their fans.

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The day after the incident, Suga took to Weverse to apologize to his fans for his reckless behavior, and his label also released an apology. Since then, the idol has not made any further statements.