[Grace Kao] American redemption vs. Korean punishment for BTS’ Suga

I am a fan of BTS and know many American fans in the BTS Army, as the fan group calls itself. I am also in contact with many K-pop professionals and Korean fans of K-pop. I was in Korea a couple of weeks ago, and it really struck me how different American and Korean perceptions of Suga’s recent drunk-driving controversy were. The bottom line comes down to American beliefs about redemption for past personal transgressions versus Korean beliefs about equity in punishment for celebrities, at least involving drinking under the influence.

According to news reports, Suga was found by police after falling off his electric scooter near his apartment on Aug. 6.

Articles suggest that his blood alcohol level was 0.227 percent, which is considerably higher than the 0.08 percent that warrants the cancellation of a driver’s license. The controversy unfolded from drunk driving later to the claim that Suga and Hybe misled the public with the type of vehicle listed -- they referred to the vehicle in question as an electric kickboard, which carries lighter penalties. Security footage showed someone, presumably Suga, on an electric scooter. It turned out that this footage was not of him. Later, other footage showed him on an electric scooter with a kickboard type frame. Reports also claim that Suga said he had one beer.

The Korean media, Korean fans and my friends in Korea focus on the fact that Suga’s blood alcohol level was the highest reported among any idols charged with drunk driving.

Earlier this summer, one of the major celebrity scandals involved trot singer Kim Ho-joong’s driving under the influence. He allegedly forced his manager to falsely confess to driving the vehicle and to swallow the SIM card from his vehicle’s camera. He is being charged and held for a hit and run, and faces up to 30 years in prison.

Earlier, Shinhwa's Shin Hye-sung was removed from the group after his second DUI. Theo of DKB was removed after a DUI. Kangin of Super Junior had two DUIs (2009, blood alcohol content of 0.082 percent and then again in 2016 with a blood alcohol level of 0.05 percent) before being removed from the group.

Many others have had DUIs. In fact, some fans had compiled a list of idols with DUIs and their blood alcohol levels -- Suga’s clearly stands out for its high level.

It is also the case that many of these idols suffered some type of consequence. Logic follows that it is only fair that Suga, whose blood alcohol level was the highest among these idols, should not be exempt just because he is from BTS. Korea is a highly competitive society, where tests and quantitative measures determine all types of educational and occupational outcomes. In a way, the blood alcohol level is a score to be compared with other scores. This rationale makes sense in the Korean context.

In stark contrast, my American BTS Army associates and friends are furious about the coverage Suga’s incident has received from the Korean media and the responses from some Korean fans (and perhaps antifans).

They may disagree about how many of the details are fact versus fiction -- some people vigorously argue against every detail being reported. They believe there is “fake news” about Suga. Some do not believe reports of the blood alcohol level, the type of vehicle and/or whether Suga had initially misled fans in his apology letter.

They all agree that the only person who was injured was Suga. Everyone also agrees that DUIs are serious infractions and I think they would support the penalty of the revocation of a driver’s license. However, they argue that if Suga exercised poor judgment or abused alcohol due to any mental health challenges, the media coverage is only going to make things worse for him.

In fact, the solution ought to focus on Suga.

Suga may need help in getting sober or improving his mental health. They worry about what this coverage is doing to his well-being. Their hope is for him to come out of this as a healthier, sober person. This is what Americans hope for celebrities with alcohol and drug problems -- that they seek help and overcome these challenges rather than having them serve jail time.

Having said that, I do think Americans take crimes against other individuals, especially those that involve sexual assault, spycams, etc. much more seriously than some Koreans. I don’t think Americans see these as forgivable offenses.

But to many Americans, what Suga is charged with is a far cry from these types of criminal offenses. Americans see drug and alcohol abuse of celebrities as personal issues that need to be addressed, but I don’t think idols or other celebrities would get “canceled.”

However, Americans are not aware of what other K-pop and Korean celebrities have faced when it comes to DUIs, especially as recently as earlier this year. However, every fan of Hallyu is aware of the tragic apparent suicide of "Parasite" actor Lee Sun-kyun after being interviewed by police and being the object of nonstop media coverage.

No matter where one stands on this issue, I think we can all agree that we want Suga -- or Min Yoon-gi -- to emerge from this as a stronger and healthier person. Being a K-pop idol is a tough job, and for BTS members, including Suga, the best and worst parts are more intense than for any other idol.

Grace Kao

Grace Kao is an IBM professor of sociology and professor of ethnicity, race and migration at Yale University. The views expressed here are the writer’s own. -- Ed.

By Korea Herald(khnews@heraldcorp.com)