Amid the ongoing investigation on BTS member Suga’s drunk driving incident in Seoul on Aug. 6, some Korean netizens are calling for his withdrawal from the group but a culture critic said his agency will “relatively unlikely” to consider this.

The police are investigating Suga who used an electric scooter while intoxicated on Aug. 6.

A new CCTV footage obtained by Korean media outlet Yonhap News TV showed the incident.

BTS' Suga (Instagram)

In his apology on Aug. 7, Suga said, “I fell over while stopping the electric kickboard at the front gate of my house, and a police officer was nearby. After testing my alcohol level, my license was revoked and I was fined.”

“No one was harmed or any facilities were damaged during this process, but I have no excuses for my responsibility, so I bow my head and apologize to everyone,” he said.

Some people placed wreaths in front of the HYBE [BTS’ parent company] building in Seoul, calling for his withdrawal from BTS.

The wreaths carried messages such as “Withdraw from the band, Min Yoon-gi [Suga’s real name],” “Congratulations on your downfall,” “How could you let us hear your life updates on the news,” “Aren’t you sorry for your fans,” “You are the one who let go of our hands” and “Min Yoon-gi leave the group before standing in front of the photo line because it’s embarrassing,” the Korea JoongAng Daily reported. The photo line refers to people facing the press before entering a police station.

Regarding this, HYBE told Korean media, “The wreath in question was not notified in advance, so it was immediately removed after a citizen reported it,” and “It was not something that was done with the will of fans.”

The police said they will summon Suga regarding the drunk driving incident.

Amid the calls by some Korean netizens for Suga to be removed from BTS, a Korean culture critic said Big Hit Music will not let that happen.

Culture critic Jung Min-jae said it is "relatively unlikely that BTS's agency will consider Suga's withdrawal from the group," according to a Korea Times report.

Jung said it will be more detrimental if Suga leaves BTS.

"Public sentiment about drunk driving varies significantly abroad compared to Korea, where it is viewed as a serious offense, especially for celebrities. Moreover, BTS’s popularity extends far beyond the Korean fanbase, with a substantial international following. It would likely be more detrimental than beneficial for the agency to consider expelling Suga from the group," he said.

But he warned that Suga will face negative opinions in South Korea.

"We will still have to wait for the results with the police investigation. However, not only did he drive drunk, but he also repeatedly provided misleading explanations, which has deeply disappointed Korean fans. Even if all the members complete their service and full group activities resume, public opinion in Korea will likely remain negative as long as Suga continues to be active." he said.

Under Korea’s Road Traffic Act, “A person whose blood alcohol content is not less than 0.2 percent shall be punished by imprisonment with labor for not less than two years but not more than five years or by a fine not less than 10 million won ($7,355) but not exceeding 20 million won ($14,710).”

“A person whose blood alcohol content is not less than 0.08 percent but less than 0.2 percent shall be punished by imprisonment with labor for not less than one year but not more than two years or a by fine not less than five million ($3,677.5) won but not exceeding 10 million won ($7,355),” according to the law.

Suga is currently fulfilling his military service as a social service personnel (public duty personnel) and will be discharged on June 21, 2025.