Photo Credit: Suga by Yun_Q for Dispatch
A Seoul court fines BTS’ Suga $11,500 for driving an electric scooter while under the influence of alcohol.
BTS member Suga has been fined by a Seoul court an amount totaling $11,500 (15 million KRW) for driving an electric scooter while under the influence of alcohol. The issue has sent ripples throughout South Korea and in the BTS fandom, with Suga taken in for questioning on August 6 after he fell while driving an electric scooter near his home in Seoul.
Suga was the first to break the news, owning up to the incident and apologizing on the fan platform Weverse. The Korean media reported that his blood alcohol level was measured at 0.227%, which is far above the 0.08 percent threshold for having his driving license revoked.
It was later revealed that Suga received a “summary indictment,” a system used in Korea for minor offenses which also sees a court “impose a fine or confiscation through an expedited process without a full trial.”
The Seoul Western District Court imposed a fine on Friday (September 27) of the exact amount the state prosecutors had requested. Notably, Suga can challenge the sentence by filing for a full trial within seven days of the court’s decision.
Due to the prominence of BTS, Suga’s DUI has attracted tons of media coverage, some of which seemed to be based on information leaks from law enforcement, and some of which was simply fan speculation.
Specifically, it has raised questions about Korean law enforcement’s use of a “press line,” a perp walk type of public shaming that takes place before a suspect is convicted. It has also raised questions about the unrealistically high standards to which Korean stars are expected to maintain, even in private.
Director Bong Joon-ho, known for the film “Parasite,” organized a press conference early this year to warn against police tactics, media, and social media pressure following the death by suicide of actor Lee Sun-kyun after a lengthy investigation.
