BTS’s Suga has been fined for driving an electric scooter while drunk. He previously apologized twice over the August incident.
Case closed
September 10: Officials announced on Tuesday that BTS’s Suga has been fined for driving an electric scooter while under the influence of alcohol, per Yonhap and Korea JoongAng Daily. Prosecutors filed a summary indictment, which is used for minor offenses and means the case is not being referred to a trial. Suga is said to have driven an e-scooter while his blood alcohol level was 0.227 percent (the threshold for getting your driver’s license revoked is 0.08 percent).
In South Korea, having a BAC level above 0.2 percent could reportedly result in a punishment of between two to five years in prison. But in Suga’s case, as many fans have been manifesting, there was only a fine. According to Yonhap and Korea JoongAng Daily, a BAC level above 0.2 percent could be met with a fine between 10 million won (~$7,442) and 20 million won (~$14,884). The amount of money that Suga was asked to pay was not disclosed, but we doubt that anyone is wondering if he can afford it.
Suga issues two apology statements
August 26: BTS’s Suga promptly apologized to fans earlier this month for driving an electric scooter while drunk, after police in South Korea suspended his license. The rapper atoned for his “careless and wrong behavior†in a WeVerse post in Korean on August 7, a day after the incident on August 6, per Billboard. His label, BigHit, also posted two separate statements at the time, sharing more details from the night and apologizing to fans. But apparently, that all still wasn’t enough. Suga posted another WeVerse apology on August 25, this time saying he was sorry for his first “hastily posted†apology in Korean, also per Billboard. In his new statement, Suga took an even more repentant tone, apologizing for damaging his reputation and disappointing fans while opening himself to any further punishment. Suga has yet not been sanctioned over the incident, but police said he “admitted to charges†during questioning on August 23. We at Vulture don’t condone drunk driving, but some rock stars haven’t had to be so sorry.
This post has been updated to clarify the type of scooter.