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On August 12, 2024, a trend mimicking the BTS' "Suga Challenge" went viral online. Dubbed the "Rosé and Jennie Challenge," the trend includes netizens posting inappropriate images of the two BLACKPINK members along with pictures of cigarettes, drugs, and more.
For the unversed, the "Suga Challenge" became popular online due to the BTS idol's DUI charges. In this challenge, netizens upload pictures of themselves driving with alcohol bottles in their cars. Because of its riskiness and tendency to downplay the gravity of DUI crimes, this movement has drawn criticism.
The BTS fandom suspected fandoms of other idol groups, which resulted in an online fan war. Allkpop reported that several BTS ARMY started trending the "Rosé and Jennie Challenge," alleging BLACKPINK fans initiated the online trend against the BTS idol.
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What is the "Suga Challenge," and how did it start?
On August 7, 2024, BTS' Min Yoongi, aka Suga, made waves after being charged by the police for driving an electric scooter/kickboard under the influence. On the night of August 6, police saw the BTS idol stumble while trying to park the electric scooter/kickboard in front of his house. The officer rushed to assist the BTS idol.
After a blow test, Yoongi's blood alcohol level recorded a 0.08% intoxication, and the officer accompanied him to the Yongsan Police Station. Star News reported that the K-pop idol was riding a personal mobility device (PMD). The vehicle's maximum speed is 30km/hr, and in South Korea, drunk driving a PMD could result in the revoking of the license for a year.
Despite Yoongi's apology letter via Weverse, the massive public outcry condemned him for his "reckless" behavior and for violating the Road Traffic Act. The BTS ARMY trended several hashtags on X, such as "WE LOVE YOU YOONGI," to shield the idol from public criticism and outrage.
On August 11, some netizens flooded X with #SugaChallenge, a new trend where they shared images of alcohol bottles inside a car. Korean media outlets covered the news and allegedly mentioned BTS ARMY as the creator of the trend. Following this, ARMY tagged Chosun Daily and asked them to apologize for slandering BTS fans.
On August 12, Newsis reported that some "BTS anti-fans" fabricated the challenge to defame the BTS idol and their fans. They reported that the original X post contained statements like "I will be with you" and "I always support Suga," which started the reckless challenge online. The post gave the impression that they are sympathetic toward the BTS idol's DUI case.
Additionally, Newsis reported that new evidence shows that the "anti-fans" created the narrative by downloading images from picture-sharing websites like Pinterest. Meanwhile, ARMYs trended hashtags on X worldwide, such as "FAKECHALLENGE," "ItWasNotARMY," and "KoreanMediaBeProfessional," and demanded them to apologize.
BTS' Min Yoongi began his military service on September 22, 2023. He will be discharged in June 2025 after serving in the public sector for a mandatory period of 21 months.
