BTS member Suga apologises for drunk driving on e-scooter

HYBE

07/08/2024 09:32

SEOUL, Aug 7 (Reuters) - K-pop star Suga, a member of
the boy band supergroup BTS, apologised on Wednesday after
police in Seoul, the South Korean capital, fined him and revoked
his licence for drunk driving while on an electric scooter.
    The songwriter and rapper had ridden the scooter for about
500 m (1,640 ft) before he tripped when parking on Tuesday
night, his label Big Hit Music, which is part of K-pop firm HYBE
 352820.KS , said.
    Suga failed a breathalyser test conducted by nearby police
and was fined and his scooter licence taken away, the label
said, adding that the incident caused no harm to anyone else or
property damage.
    "I violated the road traffic law because I was comfortable
with the idea of being close (to home) and was not aware that
you could not use an electric scooter when you are drunk," Suga
wrote in a post on Weverse, a fan platform owned by HYBE.
    "I apologise to everyone who has been hurt by my careless
and wrong behavior," added Suga, whose birth name is Min
Yoon-gi.
    South Korea, which requires a licence for use of an electric
scooter, can levy penalties for driving while drunk or injuring
others. 
    Police accompanied the singer to his home, Big Hit Music
said.
    The incident is the latest example of K-pop performers
sometimes falling short of their squeaky-clean image.   
    Since announcing a break from group projects in June 2022,
BTS members pursued solo activities before starting military
service.
    The 31-year-old Suga has been engaged in social service work
in order to meet his military duty commitment.
    All able-bodied South Korean men aged 18 to 28 must serve
for about two years in the military, though some are allowed to
work as social service agents as an alternative form of duty.

 (Reporting by Hyunsu Yim and Hyonhee Shin;
Editing by Ed Davies and Clarence Fernandez)
 ((Hyunsu.Yim@thomsonreuters.com;))