Seoul court fines BTS star Suga over e-scooter incident

The Seoul Western District Court fined K-pop singer Suga 15 million won ($11,000, €10,200) for riding an electric scooter while drunk, a court official said on Monday.

Police found the 31-year-old lying on the ground next to his scooter late at night on August 6 in the South Korean capital.

What we know about the case

Tests showed Suga's blood alcohol level was 0.227% — nearly three times the permitted level.

The artist, whose legal name is Min Yoon-gi, has already had his driving license revoked.

Under the South Korean Road Traffic Act, driving or riding a vehicle with a blood alcohol level over 0.2% can result in a prison sentence of up to five years or a fine of up to 20 million won.

Min is currently performing mandatory military duties as a social service agent.

Seoul's Military Manpower Administration said he would be punished under traffic law, not military law, because the incident happened outside his official working hours.

Apology for 'blemish'

The BTS member wrote a handwritten apology over the incident in late August, saying he had harmed the boy band's name.

"I have left a large blemish on the precious memories I made together with my members and our fans, and I have tarnished BTS's name," he wrote.

Suga admitted to a "grave mistake" and said he was "painfully sorry."

The seven members of BTS — the world's most popular boy band — have been on a break since 2022 because of military service.

South Korea requires all men under 30 to be available to serve in the military because of tensions with nuclear-armed North Korea.

rc/nm (AFP, Reuters)