‘Suga’ of BTS for the first time as a police photo line for drunk driving…Big Hit and the Military Manpower Administration coordinate schedules

[Sports Chosun Bai Ji-eun Reporter] BTS member SUGA is undergoing an official police investigation.

The police announced that they are coordinating schedules between SUGA’s agency Big Hit Music and the Military Manpower Administration for an official investigation related to SUGA’s alleged drunk driving on an electric scooter in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 6th.
SUGA was found in a drunken state driving an electric scooter on a road in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu. Police at the scene detected the smell of alcohol and conducted a breathalyzer test, revealing his blood alcohol level to be 0.227%, significantly exceeding the license cancellation standard of 0.08%.

The police initially took SUGA home due to his drunken state at the time but deemed further investigation necessary. The key points of the police investigation are the amount of alcohol consumed by SUGA and the classification of the device he was riding.

While it is obvious that drinking and driving, whether it be on a kickboard or a scooter, is prohibited, the level of punishment varies depending on the classification. Electric kickboards with a maximum speed of 25 km/h receive a fine of 100,000 Korean won for drunk driving, but electric scooters are treated similarly to cars. Moreover, in the case of scooters, if the blood alcohol level exceeds 0.2%, a maximum sentence of less than 5 years and a fine of up to 20 million Korean won can be imposed.

Initially, SUGA and his agency, Big Hit Music, stated that he was riding an “electric kickboard,” but speculation arose that they were trying to downplay the incident after the police corrected it to a “scooter” and released CCTV footage. In response, Big Hit Music stated that there was no intention to downplay the issue.

Against this backdrop, SUGA is undergoing an official police investigation. As this is the first time such an issue has arisen for a BTS member, further attention is being drawn to it.

Bai Ji-eun Reporter silk781220@sportschosun.com