If fans recall, last year SUGA donated 5 billion won, equivalent to more than $3.6 million, to support the mental health of children and adolescents through the establishment and operation of a treatment center bearing his name at Severance Hospital of Yonsei University in Seoul. The donation also marked the largest contribution ever received by Severance Children's Hospital and the Yonsei University Health System.

As a result, the Min Yoongi Treatment Center, a specialized facility dedicated to supporting children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), officially opened in late September 2025. Beyond providing financial support, SUGA was directly involved in developing the MIND music therapy program alongside medical experts. He also spent several months volunteering, meeting and supporting children with ASD every weekend since the beginning of last year.

SUGA's efforts have been widely recognized by both industry professionals and the public. However, at a time when the idol and BTS have been attracting significant public attention through their reunion activities and the BTS ARIRANG World Tour, an υиєχρє¢тє∂ controversy has erupted on кσяєαn social media surrounding his 5 billion won donation.

Specifically, SUGA became the center of discussion after a viral post on the кσяєαn online community Nate Pann questioned the motive behind the record-breaking donation. The author argued that the contribution should not be viewed solely as an act of charity. According to the post, the donation may have played a role in helping SUGA maintain his position in BTS following his highly controversial DUI incident.

To support this argument, the writer compared SUGA's case to that of more than 20 K-pop idols who were forced to leave their groups after becoming involved in criminal investigations or ethical scandals. The fact that the BTS member continues to promote with the group was described as a notable exception, leading the author to speculate that the 5 billion won donation was actually a strategic move aimed at easing public criticism and repairing his image. As of now, the post has garnered more than 40,000 views and sparked heated discussion.

However, notably, the claim was quickly met with backlash not only from fans but also from the majority of netizens. Many argued that speculating about the motives behind such a large-scale charitable act is unfair, especially when the donation has already delivered tangible benefits to the community. Numerous comments emphasized that regardless of the motivation, the Min Yoongi Treatment Center is actively operating and providing support to many children with autism and their families.

Meanwhile, ARMY swiftly came to SUGA's defense, arguing that the original poster was the one acting with malicious intent, attempting to undermine BTS and SUGA at a time when their popularity continues to grow. Fans acknowledged that SUGA was at fault in the DUI incident, but stressed that he took full responsibility by sincerely apologizing to the public, reflecting on his actions, and fulfilling all legal obligations.

ARMY also pointed out that the incident did not result in any injuries or property damage to third parties. Therefore, they argued that using an incident from years ago to diminish the value of a meaningful charitable contribution is unacceptable. The contributions and positive impact SUGA has made on society are undeniable!

Some of the heated reactions and comments posted beneath the discussion about SUGA on the кσяєαn online community include:

- SUGA is better than you, who doesn't even donate 10,000 won. Just shut up, OP

- Whether it's image laundering or ironing, what does that matter? How many patients could be saved with 5 billion won? Those who won't even donate a measly 50 won are just blabbering with their big mouths

- It was too much money to criticize. 5 billion won is an amount that would take 1,000 months—approximately 83.3 years—to save even if you saved 5 million won a month

- 5 billion won isn't just some random amount of money. Celebrities involved in drunk driving α¢¢ι∂єитs simply post an apology, go into self-reflection, and then return to making money. So, even if SUGA just posts an apology and reflects, those who want to criticize him will criticize him, and even if he donates 5 billion won, those who want to criticize him will still criticize him. Nevertheless, donating was the right thing to do

- With 5 billion won, the Min Yoon-gi Treatment Center was established at Severance Hospital in 2025 for the treatment and social independence of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Is this easy? Is this really just for image laundering??

- People harmed or injured due to Suga's wrongdoing - 0 people / People whose lives have been comforted and who can live with hope in their hearts thanks to Suga's donation - ???? people

- Even if it's for laundry, you can't find fault with this. I admit it

- Lol, is a post like this going to be uploaded just because soмєтнing good is about to happen to BTS again?

- Considering most people won't even make eye contact with charity volunteers on the street asking for a sticker, a 5-billion-won donation is huge. Plus, it’s not like he caused an α¢¢ι∂єит with a car, and he was legally punished, so I think someone of SUGA's status deserves a pαѕѕ

- Have you guys even donated in real life? I'm an office worker and I do my best to donate whenever I can, but even at 100,000 won a month, it only adds up to 1.2 million a year. And that's even with a tax deduction. If you’ve actually ever donated, you’d know how big of a deal even 10,000 won a month is lol. You guys are all talk

- The drunk driving was absolutely wrong. But donating 50 billion won? That's an astronomical amount, and it’s a remarkably hard thing to do. We’re talking about 50 billion won here, not 500 million. Honestly, it’s undeniably impressive