I read a well-written article titled, The Sacrificing of Suga (K-Culture with Jae-ha Kim, a culture journalist), and felt I had to respond, even though I had written a post two weeks ago, dated August 8, 2024, speaking of how he was treated by people in general.
I and many others were astounded by Suga’s treatment by the media in his own country of South Korea, and when we (his fans and others, worldwide) questioned the motivation and intention behind said handling, we were told in so many words, “Don’t question what we do in our own country. You do not understand our culture.” Well, I’m here to say, bullshit! We are not questioning how you greet each other, or your dating practices, but yes, when we see the outrageous and degrading treatment of a human being, it is our right to question it. We are not arguing whether your law was fair or unfair, but what followed his suspension and fine for riding a scooter intoxicated.
“Unfortunately for Suga, everything he does is news. And as the inflammatory and erroneous news reports escalated into a feverish pitch… (I was thinking about) …what the police, media and public had done to Lee Sun-kyun just eight months earlier. They had forced the prominent Parasite actor to stand outside the police station, bowing and apologizing to the media and public for supposedly committing a crime — for which the police had no proof. After the authorities interrogated him for 19 hours for alleged drug use, Lee was later found unresponsive in his car, in what most likely was death by suicide.
Jae-ha Kim
Just seven months ago, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Bong Joon-ho led a protest against the South Korean media and police. He had wanted something meaningful to come from Lee’s tragic death. Backed by a group of other well-known creatives, Bong asked for news media to stop with its sensationalist and unverified coverage, calling out KBS in particular. Bong also asked for an investigation of the police, who had broadcast Lee’s questioning live to the media. As a reminder: Lee had passed all his drug tests and the police had no evidence that he was using recreational drugs.
Clearly, no lessons were learned. Some reporters and netizens are demanding that Suga stand in a police photo lineup. Why? So he’ll be humiliated. OK, then, how about having the JTBC editors who authorized the slandering of Suga to do the lineup first?”
Suga had already apologized and took accountability for his actions.
“I feel deeply sorry to come to you with such disappointing news. After drinking at dinner last night, I tried to get back on an electric kickboard. I chose to take a kickboard back home as I was nearby and I was not aware of the law regarding drunk driving on a kickboard. Hence, I ended up violating the traffic law.
Suga
I fell down alone while parking the kickboard at the front of my house door. Police personnel were nearby and I was issued with a license revocation and a fine. No one was injured and nothing was damaged because of the incident.
But I bow down and sincerely apologize with full responsibility for my inexcusable action to everyone.”
I apologize to everyone who was hurt by my careless behavior. I will be more careful in the future so that such incidents don’t happen again.”
But evidently that was not good enough.
“To put things into perspective, when Lee Sun-kyun was hounded for allegedly taking recreational drugs, South Korean media churned out 50 articles per day until his death. By comparison, the media already has been generating four times as much daily coverage on the BTS rapper. And often with incorrect information.
Jae-ha Kim
In order to have its gotcha moment, JTBC aired CCTV footage of a man driving what appears to be a motorcycle or a motorbike on the road. The footage is so grainy that it’s difficult to ascertain what the vehicle is, much less who is driving it. Honestly, I could find Waldo quicker than I could ID the person on that motorbike/cycle. But the station insisted the footage was of him, which contradicted Suga’s statement that he had been on a smaller kickboard scooter, making him sound like a liar.
In fact, JTBC’s footage was not of Suga. They eventually aired a short retraction and said they were sorry for the confusion, before deleting the footage from its archives.
But here’s the thing: who in that news department thought it was a good idea to air something that hadn’t been vetted? And why is no one suing the news shows for continually doing this? South Korea has some of the most draconian laws when it comes to libel and slander. Heck, you could potentially lose a case if the other party can prove that what you said (even if it’s the truth!) harmed their reputation or business.”
It’s sensationalism at its finest! People feeding on rot-gut news! But it’s not news at all – it’s tabloid foolery, and they’re out to draw and quarter anyone and everyone who comes across their desk. It doesn’t matter who gets hurt. It doesn’t matter whether they are guilty or innocent. And it’s wrong no matter where it occurs – Hong Kong, Ethiopia, the United States, Australia, France, Romania, and yes, South Korea.
It’s the Salem witch hunts all over again. Tie up the accused and place them in water. Sinking to the bottom indicated that the accused was innocent while floating indicated a guilty verdict. You’re screwed either way.
A very well written commentary on the ridiculous situation in South Korea right now with BTS’s Min Yoongi, aka, Suga, that references comments made in another well-written article by Jae-ha Kim (Instagram @goawaywithjae). I really enjoyed this blog post and Marion’s writings.
Thank you for your comments. Ridiculous is right! It’s outright insane.