Officials Weigh In On The Seriousness Of BTS Suga’s Scooter Drunk Driving Incident
Both BigHit Music’s initial statement and Suga’s first apology refer to Suga’s electric scooter as an electric kickboard. Yongsan Police Station clarified that Suga was driving an electric scooter with a seat. BigHit Music has apologized for and corrected details in their first statement. Suga has released a second apology. The police investigation into Suga’s drunk driving incident has now ended.
On the night of August 6, Suga fell outside the Nine One Hannam luxury complex in Hannam-dong from the electric scooter he had been driving while intoxicated. Despite the seriousness of the issue in South Korea, some international fans downplayed the situation and made light of it on social media. This reaction stems from the fact that Suga was driving a scooter rather than a more powerful motor vehicle like a car.
Police later confirmed that the personal mobility device Suga had been operating was not a kickboard with a lone panel but a scooter with a seat. According to the police’s statement, “it would be a more accurate description to call it an electronic scooter.” For reference, kickboards with lone panels are easily rented out on the street and look like this:
Due to safety concerns, only drivers with a valid driver’s license can rent out seated electric scooters like the ones pictured below. These electric scooters are also legally bound to many of the same traffic laws as cars.
Just how serious is Suga’s incident? According to the South Korean law, there are two possibilities. If his device ends up being categorized 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 as such by the law. In addition to losing his license, he could also end up being charged and punished in accordance with the traffic rule violations for cars.
On the other hand, if Suga’s device is investigated and categorized as an electric kickboard, the case will end with him only facing a fine of ₩100,000 KRW (about $72.80 USD) and having his license revoked.
