Suga’s DUI Case: A Full Breakdown

BTS‘s Suga is under investigation for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) at the Yongsan Police Station. Here’s a full breakdown of what happened between August 6, 2024 (KST), when Suga operated his electric vehicle home, and now, as the latest developments are being reported.



The Initial Report
For the first time on August 7, 2024 (KST), around 11:50 AM, South Korean news outlet Yonhap reported that BTS‘s Suga was being investigated by the Yongsan Police Station for driving while under the influence of alcohol.

This initial report shared basic information about the incident, including that Suga was found “by himself, fallen off the kickboard and on the streets” on the night of August 6, 2024 (KST). The police, who had been patrolling the area, spotted him, approached him to help him up, smelled alcohol on him, and took him to the nearest police station.

In this initial report, Yonhap used the phrase “electric kickboard,” the Korean equivalent of an electric scooter, to identify the mobile vehicle that was operated.



Based on this language, it was assumed that the electric kickboard in question looked like this:



It was noted that in South Korea, electric kickboards are available for rent or permitted for operation with a driver’s license. Given their dangerous qualities, their use is closely monitored, and riders are expected to follow traffic laws applicable to car drivers.

The Follow-Up Reports
Following the initial report, another South Korean news outlet, Newsis, shared the latest updates from the police investigating the case: The results of Suga’s breathalyzer test performed.

Although the Newsis report did not specify the exact percentage, it highlighted the fact that the police reported Suga’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level had “passed 0.08%” at the time of the test—meaning his driver’s license could be revoked.

One of the earliest reports from The JoongAng mentioned Suga’s statement given to the Yongsan Police Station. According to it, Suga talked about knee pain and testified that he had “only driven for a short while after having one glass of beer.”



The First Official Statements
Within hours following the two reports, BIGHIT MUSIC released an official statement about the investigation.

In the statement, posted on BTS’s official community board, BIGHIT MUSIC apologized for the member’s operation of an electric kickboard under the influence of alcohol and claimed that Suga had his license revoked and was fined.

Hello, this is BIGHIT MUSIC. We apologize for the matter of BTS’s member Suga driving home on an electric kickboard while drunk. On the night of August 6, Suga used a helmet while driving an electric kickboard home after drinking. He had driven around 500m before he parked and fell down. Through a police officer who had been nearby, a breathalyzer test was conducted, and as per the results, Suga’s license was revoked, and he was fined. No casualties occurred through the incident; neither was any property damaged. He was escorted home by the police.

We apologize for the disappointment caused by our artist’s inappropriate action. As a public service officer, Suga conducted himself in a manner that caused rife in society, and thus, he plans on duly facing the appropriate consequences from his workplace. We will be even more cautious to prevent similar matters from occurring in the future. Thank you.

— BIGHIT MUSIC

Suga then took to Weverse and penned a personal message to the fans, also apologizing for his operation of an electric kickboard under the influence of alcohol.

In this message, Suga claimed that he was unaware that the traffic laws governing cars applied to electric kickboards.

Hello, this is Suga. I’m feeling extremely heavy-hearted and sorry to have to come to you over such a disappointing matter.

I rode an electric kickboard home last night, after having drinks with dinner. I thought that it was a close distance, and I did not realize that I could not operate an electric kickboard after drinking. As such, I violated traffic rules. I parked in front of the main gates to my home, and in that process, I fell over by myself. Police was nearby, and through the results of a breathalyzer test, my license was revoked and I paid a fine. Although no one was hurt, and no property was damaged, this is inexcusably something I have to take responsibility for, and I apologize to everyone.

I apologize to those who were hurt by my irresponsible and inappropriate behavior, and I will be even more careful with my actions to prevent such matters from occurring in the future.

— Suga

At this point, the apologies from both BIGHIT MUSIC and Suga sparked an intense reaction from the BTS fandom. A lot of ARMYs within Korea condemned the member for his “self-serving” apology, while a lot of international ARMYs questioned the true severity of the case.

The First Detail That Escalated The Case
Then, later in the afternoon of August 7, Star News reported on a conversation with the Yongsan Police Station.

In this report, it was revealed that the mobile vehicle Suga operated under the influence of alcohol was not an electric kickboard, but an “electric scooter with a seat,” or the Korean equivalent of a simpler scooter bike.

It was a model with a seat. It would be more appropriate to describe it as an electric scooter.

— Yongsan Police Station

The classification of the mobile vehicle, whether it was an electric kickboard (with or without seat) or an electric scooter, became a crucial difference to the case as the police described that DUI penalties would differ depending on what was driven.

According to the South Korean law, there are two possibilities. If Suga’s mobile vehicle ends up being classified as a device with an internal engine, it will be treated the same as a drunk driving incident involving a car, and will be handled using the governing traffic law. His driver’s license will be revoked, and he could also end up being charged and punishable by law, in accordance with the traffic rule violations for cars. On the other hand, if his device is investigated and classified as a variation of an electric kickboard, the case will end with him facing a fine of ₩100,000 KRW (about $72.80 USD) with his driver’s license getting revoked.

— Hankook Ilbo

It was also at this point that the Yongsan Police Station clarified Suga had not been fined or gotten his driver’s license revoked yet—contradicting BIGHIT MUSIC and Suga’s first round of apologies. According to the police, the investigation was still ongoing.

Currently, no fine has been imposed yet, and the process for revoking his driver’s license is still underway. There are currently no plans for additional summons or investigation of Suga, but since it involves drunk driving on a scooter, the investigation into whether a violation of the Road Traffic Act applies will continue. If the investigation concludes that there was DUI on an electric scooter, it is highly unlikely that the case will close with a simple fine.

— Yongsan Police Station to Star News

The CCTV Footage
The backlash following these revelations was fierce. BIGHIT MUSIC and Suga were both accused of “lying” and “minimizing” the situation.

At the same time, some ARMYs accused the Yongsan Police Station of putting Suga through “unfair punishment” for being a well-known K-Pop star. According to Hankook Ilbo, however, the police officers who first spotted Suga fallen off his electric scooter “did not recognize Suga as a member of the globally famous group BTS at the time of the incident,” undermining the argument that his celebrity status influenced the handling of the case.

At the time of the incident, none of the officers who responded to the scene realized that the electric scooter driver was a BTS member.

— Yongsan Police Station to Hankook Ilbo

Amid the commotion, JTBC‘s Newsroom aired the CCTV footage capturing Suga driving the electric scooter down Hannam-daero, a multi-lane street connecting Yongsan.



The Office of Military Manpower Administration
As more details were provided, a new question was posed: What will happen to Suga’s enlistment status?

Around 9 PM of August 7, Chosun Ilbo reported that the South Korean Office of Military Manpower Administration made a decision not to hold Suga responsible for an “incident occurred outside of his working hours,” at least at his current workplace.

He is not subject to punishment for damaging the military’s image due to the fact that the incident occurred outside of his working hours.

— Office of Military Manpower Administration

The Second Official Statement
Around midnight on August 8, 2024 (KST), amid intense criticism over the behavior captured in the CCTV footage, BIGHIT MUSIC issued another statement to apologize for their previous oversight. The label insisted that there was no intention to “downplay” the incident.

Hello. This is BIGHIT MUSIC. This is an additional statement about BTS’s member Suga.

Firstly, we sincerely apologize yet again for disappointing everyone with the irresponsible incident. We were unable to carefully review various aspects of it and put out a statement in a rush, causing confusion.

1) Regarding the use of the term “kickboard”

We initially used the term “electric kickboard” as we assumed the vehicle in question to be a kickboard that had a seat attached to it. In the process of checking, we realized that the classification for the vehicle differed according to its abilities and specifications. We also understood that the spectrum of repercussions for DUIs involving the vehicles would differ as such. We had no intentions of downplaying the incident, as we have been accused of doing. We do, however, apologize for having rushed to put out a statement without carefully examining the facts. From now on, we plan on diligently taking responsibility, according to the vehicle classification as determined by the investigative officers.

2) Regarding the fine and the revoking of his license

On August 6, after Suga underwent the breathalyzer test, he went home immediately. We were unable to register the fact that there were remaining steps to the investigative process, and we wrongly believed that the case had been concluded. As we realize the severity of the case, we are sorry for having included incorrect information in our statements due to the mistakes made in internal communication.

More so, we apologize for failing to set a good example during the time of service in the military and for causing an irresponsible incident. We are sincerely sorry to the fans who have been disappointed as well.

From now on, we will diligently cooperate in any additional investigation as requested by the police, and we will accept the results of the investigations.

— BIGHIT MUSIC

The Latest Developments
As of 2 PM on August 9, 2024 (KST), in an exclusive statement to Dispatch, an official from the Yongsan Police Station stated that Suga’s electric scooter was not to be considered a “Personal Mobility” (PM) device. Instead, it had been classified as a “motorized bicycle.”

A PM device is classified as a device that moves an individual at a maximum speed of 25 kilometers per hour and weighs under 30 kilograms. While many electric scooters are classified as personal mobility devices, the vehicle Suga was operating has been classified as a “motorized bicycle,” or the Korean equivalent of an e-bike. In Korea, the operation of an e-bike is governed the same as the operation of a car.

After investigating the device, we have found that is not included in the PM device list.

— Yongsan Police Station to Dispatch

That given, Suga will face criminal investigation akin to a DUI of an automobile.

The scooter made by ‘E’ brand can reach a maximum speed of 30 km/hr and is a foldable model that does not allow for the attachment or detachment of the seat. The motor has a maximum output of 1.2 kW (kilowatts), which falls under the category of a 125cc or less engine displacement according to traffic laws, and is classified as a ‘motorized bicycle’ among electric scooters.

— The JoongAng

Later in the evening on August 9, 2024 (KST), a Donga Ilbo exclusive report revealed Suga’s BAC level was about eight times higher than the legal limit. According to the report, when the Yongsan Police Station tested Suga’s BAC, it was at 0.227%—over seven times Korea’s legal limit of 0.03%.

Note that actress Kim Sae Ron was reported to have been tested for a BAC level of 0.2% when she made headlines with her DUI case in 2022.

Neither BIGHIT MUSIC nor Suga has commented on this newest piece of information revealed to the public. As for the investigation, Yongsan Police Station has not since commented on whether Suga’s driver’s license has been or will be revoked. Should it get revoked, Suga would be unable to reacquire it for one year.

Stay tuned for updates.

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