PERCEPTION OF K-POP INDUSTRY, DRUNK DRIVING
On the other hand, international fans have rallied behind Suga, arguing that the man is only human and that he too makes mistakes.
Debates about whether such a stance is misplaced mercy or a reasonable middle ground miss the point, in my view. Such fans already have a different starting perception of the K-pop industry, excusing “lesser” crimes like Suga’s with greater leeway.
They often point to K-pop’s notoriously exacting standards for how idols should look and behave – rules that such fans believe largely result in idols having mental breakdowns and even taking their own lives – as a reason for their continued support.
Parasite actor Lee Sun-kyun, for example, was found dead in December last year in an apparent suicide amid drug allegations. Despite the A-list actor’s pleas of innocence, public opinion in Korea remained “unsympathetic”, The Korea Times reported.
In Suga’s case, moreover, the contrasting perceptions of drunk driving within and outside Korea added another layer of complexity to fan discourse. Chemyeon is after all also tied to morality – a key pillar contributing to social status.
“In Korea, drunk driving is regarded as a serious crime, almost equivalent to premeditated murder, whereas that’s not always the case overseas,” pop culture critic Jung Duk-hyun told The Korea Times.
Take NSYNC frontliner Justin Timberlake’s initial drunk driving accusations for comparison. It doesn’t appear to have dented his reputation (or ruined the tour).
