BTS' Suga Faces Fines, Driver's License Revocation and 'Disciplinary Action' After Electric Scooter DUI Incident

Suga of BTS was booked by South Korean police for allegedly driving an electric scooter while under the influence of alcohol.

The Yongsan Police Station in Seoul announced Wednesday local time that Suga, whose real name is Min Yoon-gi, was booked on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act and questioned following accusations of riding an electric scooter while drunk, local news outlet Newsen reported.

Yonhap reported that police confirmed the 31-year-old BTS rapper's blood alcohol level was 0.08%, exceeding the legal limit in South Korea.

Suga's driver's license was revoked, and he received a fine of under 200,000 Korean won ($145), according to Korea JoongAng Daily.

BTS' label Big Hit Music released a statement via the platform Weverse apologizing for and detailing the the incident.

According to the statement, Suga was "intoxicated" while driving his electric scooter home from a restaurant less than a mile away from his residence Tuesday night (local time). He fell to the ground while parking the scooter in front of his apartment. Suga had been wearing a helmet at the time of the mishap, the company noted.

After Suga fell, a nearby law enforcement officer approached to help him and conducted a breathalyzer test after noticing the smell of alcohol.

Suga was brought to a nearby police station, where he was fined and had his driver's license canceled.

"Nobody was hurt, and no property damage occurred due to the incident, and he was taken home under police custody," Big Hit stated, according to a translation by Soompi.

The record label suggested that Suga, who is currently serving his mandatory military duty, could face "appropriate disciplinary action from his workplace."

"We apologize for the disappointment caused by our artist's inappropriate behavior," the company added. "As a public service worker, he will receive appropriate disciplinary action from his workplace for causing public disturbance. We will take greater care to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. Thank you."

The BTS member also issued a heartfelt apology to his fans, expressing deep remorse and detailing the circumstances that led to the incident.

"After drinking at a dinner yesterday night, I rode an electric scooter home. I violated the Road Traffic Act due to my complacent thinking that it was a short distance and my failure to recognize that using an electric scooter while intoxicated was prohibited," Suga explained.

"Although there were no victims or damaged facilities in this process, it is entirely my responsibility without any excuse, and I sincerely apologize to everyone," he continued. "I apologize to everyone hurt by my careless and wrong actions, and I will be more careful in my actions in the future to prevent such incidents from occurring again."

Aside from losing his license and paying a fine, there remains uncertainty surrounding potential further repercussions for the BTS member as Suga fulfills his mandatory military service in South Korea.

However, according to Korea JoongAng Daily, Suga is unlikely to be punished under military law as he is serving as a social service agent.

Tags

BTS, Suga