Photo Credit: Allkpop
BTS member Suga is in hot water over a drunk driving charge, joining Justin Timberlake in the ‘bad decisions made at night’ club. Suga also had his licensed revoked. Here’s the latest.
On August 7, Yongsan Police Station in Seoul said that Min Yoon-gi (Suga) was booked for violating the Road Traffic Act due to drunk driving. The k-pop star was found by a police officer who says the star fell to the ground after riding an electric scooter while intoxicated in the Hannam-dong area of Yongsan District. A police officer patrolling near the Presidential Office noticed Suga lying on the ground. He helped him up and detected the smell of alcohol on his breath, issuing a breathalyzer on the spot. Suga failed the breathalyzer, so he was booked.
Big Hit Music and Suga have acknowledged the incident, with Suga stating, “After drinking at dinner last night, I rode an electric kickboard home. I naively thought it was a short distance, not realizing that operating an electric kickboard while under the influence was illegal. Fortunately, no one was harmed, and no property was damaged.”
“Suga was wearing a helmet while riding an electric kickboard home,” Big Hit Music said in its statement about the incident. “He fell after traveling about 500 meters while trying to park. Fortunately, there were no injuries or property damage caused by this incident.”
While both Suga and Big Hit Music call the vehicle in question an ‘electric kickboard’ it’s worth noting that police classified the vehicle as a scooter. An electric kickboard is a vehicle without a seat—which the vehicle Suga was driving did have. The vehicle is treated the same as gasoline-powered scooters under the law, requiring a more rigorous investigation into the incident.
Suga took to Weverse to issue an apology for his behavior. “I come to you with a very heavy heart and deep apologies for disappointing you with this regrettable incident. I thought complacently that it was a short distance, not realizing I was not allowed to ride the electric scooter while intoxicated, breaking the Road Traffic Act.”
Both the US and South Korea have strict laws against drunk driving motorized vehicles—no matter if the vehicle is a car or not. You’d think pop stars like Suga and Justin Timberlake could whip out their phones and summon an Uber for a few bucks and no civil trouble, but drunk folks aren’t exactly known for being forward thinkers. Even if you’re too plastered to summon a ride yourself, usually you can talk to the bartender and they’ll get you a taxi. There’s absolutely no reason to drive drunk—no matter how short the distance.
