On August 6, Suga was found by police in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, after falling off an electric scooter while intoxicated. His blood alcohol content was over 0.08%, the level for license revocation.
Before his debut in 2012, Suga suffered a shoulder injury in a motorcycle accident while working as a delivery driver. The injury, which dislocated his shoulder, forced him to give up breakdancing. The pain from the accident persisted, and in 2019, Suga was diagnosed with a torn labrum in his left shoulder, leading to surgery the following year.
His agency explained that Suga decided to undergo surgery to ensure he was healthy for his military service and future music career. Suga eventually began alternative military service as a public service worker in September 2023 due to the injury.
Despite the significance of this past accident, fans and the public are questioning why Suga chose to ride a scooter on a road with fast-moving vehicles while intoxicated, as he used to a victim himself.
Initially, Suga and his agency stated in an apology that he had ridden an electric kickboard. However, on August 7, CCTV footage revealed by JTBC’s “Newsroom” and police reports confirmed that Suga had been riding a foldable electric scooter. While both electric kickboards and scooters can result in license suspension or revocation and fines if caught driving under the influence, scooters capable of speeds over 25 km/h and with higher engine capacity can lead to fines of up to 10 million KRW or imprisonment.
As the controversy over the “false explanation” grew, BigHit Music issued another statement, explaining that they had mistakenly identified the scooter as a kickboard with a seat. They emphasized that there was no intention to downplay the incident. The agency also stated that they were unaware that the matter was still under investigation after Suga was sent home following a breathalyzer test and promised full cooperation with the ongoing police investigation.
Source: Nate
