[Exclusive] Samsung unsure of Suga's future as brand ambassador: source

Suga of BTS (right) holds the first Galaxy Fold 5 with Roh Tae-moon, president of Samsung Electronics, at the Galaxy Unpacked event held in Seoul in July last year. (Samsung Electronics' X account)

Amid the ongoing controversy over K-pop star Suga’s drunk driving incident, Samsung Electronics is considering not extending its brand ambassador contract with the singer.

“There is a risk in promoting someone as a brand ambassador who has caused a social controversy, regardless of the person's fandom. It is a serious matter and requires a lot of careful consideration,” a source familiar with the situation told The Korea Herald Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

Samsung will not take immediate action to remove Suga from advertisements, as the company signed its brand ambassador contract with BTS, not just Suga, the source added.

“Unless he leaves BTS, Samsung cannot remove Suga from the promotion at the moment. The situation needs to be monitored a bit longer,” the source said.

Samsung declined to comment on the issue.

Meanwhile, Samsung Germany, on Aug. 17, deleted promotional photos of Suga holding the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra that were posted to its official X account on Aug. 15 and 16. Many netizens, both in Korea and overseas, question whether it is appropriate to continue featuring Suga in ads amid his current DUI case.

Samsung and BTS began their partnership in February 2020. The collaboration marked the K-pop group as a global ambassador for Samsung’s smartphone products, most notably leading to the release of the BTS-themed Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy Buds+ editions.

In August 2022, a collaboration video featuring BTS and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 was displayed on the iconic screens of Times Square in New York. Suga made a surprise appearance at the Galaxy Unpacked event in Seoul last year, further highlighting the partnership.

Suga has shown special affection for Samsung products in his role as a brand ambassador. He made headlines by declaring “No iPhone, only Galaxy” during his solo world tour concert in the US in April 2023. The musician stated that he would only take selfies with fans using Galaxy phones.

The Samsung-BTS partnership was part of the leading appliances and consumer electronics company's strategy to leverage BTS’s global popularity and youthful image to appeal to a broader audience, especially the millennial and Gen Z demographics.

On Aug. 23, Suga was questioned by police on the Aug. 6 incident in which he is accused of driving an electric scooter under the influence of alcohol. His blood alcohol concentration level was measured at 0.227 percent, the highest ever reported in DUI cases involving K-pop singers.

 

By Kim Jae-heun(jaaykim@heraldcorp.com)