Korean Media Summarizes False Allegations Against BTS’s Suga And Wonders Whether Public Opinion Will Change After Release Of Alleged Correct CCTV Footage
On August 7, JTBC released alleged footage of BTS‘s Suga driving a seated electric scooter on the night of August 6 while intoxicated. The footage sparked several accusations from netizens against Suga. On August 14, DongA Ilbo refuted the previous footage and released new alleged footage of the incident. Sports Kyunghyang debunked certain allegations against Suga based on the new footage and wondered if public opinion would soften. Below is the translation of the article.
“Allegations Of BTS Suga’s Lies Misreported, New CCTV Released…Will Public Sentiment Flip?
Some of BTS Suga’s alleged lies have been proven false.
According to DongA Ilbo, they have obtained video of Suga driving his electric seated scooter on August 6 around midnight. The new video is clearer than previous CCTV videos.
Suga is seen riding towards Hannam Nine-One. Suga is seen falling in front of the gates. Suga fell while attempting to turn left and at that time he was discovered by 3 policemen.”
“The policemen who were trying to help Suga realized he was drunk and attempted to test his alcohol level. At the time he was tested, Suga’s blood alcohol level was 0.227%, which is high enough to cancel his license.
The video shared by some previous reports of Suga allegedly driving on the street was proven to not be of Suga. It is being analyzed that the person in the video was seen going the wrong way. Reports claiming that Suga had fallen from running into a divider are also false.”
“The media outlet that reported the earlier video has now turned the clip private. A previous report claiming Suga had been tested for his alcohol level on the street instead of in front of his home sparked allegations that he had lied, but this is also false.
According to police, after drinking with acquaintances in Hannam-dong around 9 PM, he went to his studio where he drank more at around 11 PM. He then drove the scooter to Nine One Hannam.”
“Suga drove a scooter that can reach speeds of 30km/h. The seat cannot be detached from the scooter. The maximum power of the scooter’s motor is 1.2kW and, according to the news outlet, is considered a moped or a motorized bicycle.
Electric kickboards are designated for vehicles that read speeds of up to 25km/h. In the case of electric kickboards, there are only administrative consequences. Suga is facing criminal charges because he drove his electric scooter while drunk.”
“Suga admitted to his faults on Weverse on August 7.
I violated traffic laws because I thought my destination was near and because I didn’t know that I couldn’t drive an electric kickboard after drinking. I fell while parking the kickboard in front of my house gate and after a policeman nearby tested my alcohol level my license was suspended and I received a penalty.
— Suga
Police are planning on investigating Suga further for driving under the influence. They are currently coordinating with Big Hit Music. Suga is currently serving out his military obligations as a social worker. He will be discharged in June of next year.”
— Sports Kyunghyang
