BTS’ Suga Charged With Drink Driving

Suga, a member of the K-pop group BTS, has revealed that he’s been fined and had his license revoked for driving while under the influence.

Posting a statement to X (formerly known as Twitter) yesterday (7 August), the performer wrote that he was “deeply sorry” to share “disappointing news” with fans.

Writing that he rode an electric scooter home after drinking at dinner the night before making the statement, Suga believed that as he was riding for a short distance and didn’t realise that it was prohibited to ride an electric scooter while intoxicated, he “violated the road traffic laws.”

He continued, “While I was parking my electric kickboard at the front gate of my house, I fell over by myself, and as a result of the breathalyzer [sic] test conducted by a police officer nearby, my license was revoked, and a fine was imposed.”

Adding that “no one was harmed” and no facilities were damaged when he rode the electric scooter, Suga said that the incident was his responsibility, and he has “no excuses.”

“I bow my head and apologize [sic] to everyone,” he wrote. I apologize [sic] to everyone who was hurt by my careless and wrong actions, and I will be more careful in my actions to avoid this from happening again.”

BTS’ record label, BigHit, also shared a statement about the incident on the platform WeVerse, which reads (via The Hollywood Reporter):

We express our sincere apology for the incident involving BTS member Suga and his electric kickboard accident. We apologize for the disappointment caused by the artist’s inappropriate behavior. As a social service agent during his military service, he is prepared to accept any disciplinary actions from his place of work for causing a social disturbance. We will take greater care to ensure that such incidents do not happen again in the future.

BTS are currently on hiatus from making music and touring as its members complete mandatory military service in South Korea. Suga began his service last year, taking on the role of a social service agent.

BTS is the band that put K-Pop on the international map, becoming one of the biggest acts on the planet. Their last four studio albums have all landed in the Australian ARIA top ten, while their compilation album Proof, released in June 2022, also hit the top spot. Their single Boy With Luv, featuring Halsey, was also an ARIA top ten hit. 

안녕하세요. 슈가입니다.

여러분께 실망스러운 일로 찾아뵙게 되어 매우 무겁고 죄송한 마음입니다.

제가 어제 밤 식사 자리에서 술을 마신 후, 전동 킥보드 를 타고 귀가했습니다. 가까운 거리라는 안이한 생각과 음주 상태에서는 전동 킥보드 이용이 불가하다는 점을 미처 인지하지 못하고…

— 𝗦𝗨𝗚𝗔 민윤기 (@BTS__twt_AGUSDT) August 7, 2024