Suga was caught by police after falling off an electric scooter while driving under the influence on August 7th in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, Seoul. He explained the situation on a fan communication platform, stating, “I fell while parking the electric scooter in front of my house, and a nearby police officer performed a breathalyzer test, which resulted in my license being revoked and a fine imposed.”
However, according to CCTV footage released on the 14th, Suga was riding the electric scooter on the sidewalk when he fell while turning toward the entrance of his residential complex. Shortly after, a patrolling police unit noticed him, approached Suga, confirmed his intoxication, and conducted a breathalyzer test.
Contrary to Suga’s explanation, it appears that the incident did not occur while he was parking in front of his house.
A police official told Sports Kyunghyang, “The difference lies in whether it was a road or not. An apartment complex or a residential area with a barrier is not considered a road. If it happens in a non-road area, one might receive fines or penalties, but administrative actions like license suspension or revocation do not apply.”
It seems that Suga was attempting to downplay the incident by omitting details such as riding on the sidewalk while intoxicated. Drunk driving, whether in a car, motorcycle, electric scooter, or even an electric kickboard, is illegal, and riding on the sidewalk can result in fines or penalties.
Big Hit Music, Suga’s agency, previously denied allegations of downplaying the incident after referring to his vehicle as an “electric kickboard” in their apology. However, while the “kickboard” label may have been a mistake, describing the incident as occurring “while parking in front of the house” when it actually happened on the sidewalk before entering the residential complex appears to be an attempt to minimize the severity of the situation.
A police official explained, “Whether it was an electric kickboard or an electric scooter is important in this case. Both result in administrative actions like license suspension or revocation, but a kickboard only incurs a fine, whereas a scooter could lead to a criminal record. Since Suga’s blood alcohol level was over 0.2%, if he was riding a scooter, he could face 2 to 5 years in prison or a fine of 10 to 20 million KRW under Article 148-2, Paragraph 3, Item 1 of the Road Traffic Act.”
The official added, “Given the statements made to the police and the situation confirmed by CCTV, it seems likely that Suga made false statements to avoid criminal and administrative penalties. If this interfered with the police investigation and disrupted the legal process, it could be considered a serious offense.”
Source: Nate
