When the member of the K-pop megagroup BTS showed up to a South Korean police station on Friday to be questioned, he apologized profusely to the reporters for using an electric scooter while intoxicated.
On August 6, late at night, authorities discovered SUGA, 31, resting on the ground next to his e-scooter with a blood alcohol content well above the permitted limit.
In front of reporters outside the police station in Seoul’s upscale Yongsan neighborhood, SUGA, dressed in a black suit, bowed.
“I’m sorry, I’m very sorry. I sincerely reflect on the fact I caused disappointment to many fans and people. I will cooperate fully with the investigation. I am sorry again,” he said before entering the station.He did not answer reporters’ questions on the details of the case.
The musician has already had his driver’s license suspended and been fined; he is currently serving as a social service agent as part of his mandated military service.
He must still respond to police queries, though, as they claim he was too inebriated to do so at the time of the event.
SUGA has apologized to followers on social media for driving while intoxicated.
The type of e-scooter he was operating will determine the penalty, experts told AFP.
Lawyer Cha Hong-soon stated that SUGA “could be punished for violating the Road Traffic Act” if he had been riding an advanced e-scooter as opposed to a basic kick-board.
Police have said SUGA’s blood alcohol level was 0.227 percent — nearly three times over the legal limit.
This could mean a prison sentence of up to five years or a fine between KRW 10 million ($7,295) to KRW 20 million ($14,952) under the South Korean Road Traffic Act.
But police will also consider “factors such as the driver’s driving distance, whether any damage occurred, and whether he had a similar criminal record,” Cha added.Seoul’s Military Manpower Administration has said that SUGA will be punished according to the traffic law, not military law, as the incident happened outside of his official working hours.
BTS fans — known collectively as ARMY — have been divided over the controversy, with some rallying behind the singer as others call for him to leave the band.
“I liked BTS because of Yoongi (SUGA’s Korean name) and now I just can’t stop crying,” said BTS fan Park Soo-hee.
“People say that you should never love an idol who appears on the police blotter or the 9 o’clock news and I’m just really disappointed in him.”
Due to military duty, which South Korea mandates of all men under 30, the seven members of the most popular boy band in the world have been on a self-described “hiatus” since 2022. This is because of tensions with the North Korean nuclear weapons.
