JTBC Issues Official Apology Regarding False CCTV Footage Release Of BTS Suga’s DUI
JTBC’s Newsroom has issued an official apology after incorrectly reporting on BTS member Suga (real name Min Yoon Gi) and his involvement in a drunk driving incident.
At the end of the Newsroom broadcast on August 16, the anchor referenced the earlier report concerning BTS member Suga’s drunk driving case.
Newsroom stated, “On August 7, we reported on BTS member Suga’s drunk driving incident. In the initial part of that report, we aired CCTV footage showing a man riding an electric scooter down a main road. However, police investigations have confirmed that the man in the footage was not Suga. We apologize for the confusion this has caused.”
On August 7, Newsroom had aired CCTV footage, claiming it showed Suga driving an electric scooter while intoxicated in Yongsan District, Seoul, on August 6. However, when it was confirmed that the individual in the video was not Suga, Newsroom deleted and made private the video on various portal sites and official channels from the afternoon of August 14. The CCTV footage was also replaced with unrelated road footage on the official website.
On August 15, Newsroom corrected their report, stating, “Police investigations revealed that the driver in the footage was not Suga.” The following day, they issued an official apology.
This is not the first time Newsroom has made erroneous reports about BTS. In December 2019, they incorrectly reported that BTS members were considering legal action against their agency, BigHit Music, over profit distribution issues, which led to an official apology when the report was proven false. In June, Newsroom also faced criticism for mistranslating an interview with a Japanese fan, claiming that BTS fans had switched their allegiance to the group NewJeans.
Separately, it was reported that on the night of August 6th, Suga had fallen while driving a personal mobility device under the influence of alcohol, resulting in his license being revoked for having a blood alcohol concentration of over 0.08%. Big Hit issued an apology confirming the news and Suga later issued a public apology too, expressing deep regret and taking full responsibility for his actions.
However, due to several inconsistencies in Big Hit’s statement, the agency had to issue a correction and a 2nd apology.
What do you think of JTBC’s apology?
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