Unverified information about BTS’s SUGA is spreading online

The content claims that HYBE, SUGA’s management company, issued a statement denying his departure from the group. SUGA has sparked controversy for allegedly driving a scooter while intoxicated, and some people have called for his departure.

This news has spread across social media in English, Japanese, Spanish, and other languages, accompanied by a screenshot of what appears to be a news broadcast. However, at this point, no such statement can be found on HYBE’s official website or community.

1. Image from YTN News. 2. Image circulating on social media.

It is claimed that the screenshot comes from South Korean broadcaster YTN, but no video footage has been found, and only still images are circulating. YTN has previously released statements from the Korean military with a similar layout (YouTube link), but the font and layout in the current image differ, suggesting it might be a fabricated image created by an ordinary individual.

Additionally, South Korea’s major news site “NATE” (https://m.news.nate.com/view/20240815n00014) and entertainment site “TOPSTAR” (https://topstarnews.net/news/articleView.html?idx$o=15531730) published articles reporting HYBE’s statement, but these articles have since been removed.

On the other hand, it cannot be entirely ruled out that the image currently circulating was, in fact, created by YTN and later removed after the report was found to be erroneous. Supporting this theory are the following points:

The article referenced on South Korea’s Wikipedia-like “NamuWiki” (ytn.co.kr/_ln/0106_202408142047285318), which cited YTN as the source of the image, is now unavailable.
The sign language interpreter in the image is making different gestures in each screenshot.
When the image brightness is adjusted, the white “YTN” logo becomes visible.

1. The sign language interpreter’s pose is different. 2. The YTN logo is visible.

In SUGA’s case, there have been other developments, such as a public apology issued by a TV station for mistakenly releasing surveillance footage of another individual. Coverage has been intense both domestically and internationally. It is essential to approach information circulating on social media with caution and verify its accuracy through official sources.