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BTS’ Suga's DUI case took a new turn as it was reportedly revealed that he received a penalty in the form of a fine of 15 million KRW won (approximately 11K USD). On September 10, the BTS rapper received a penalty through summary indictment in the DUI case by the prosecutors in the E-Scooter DUI case.
According to Newsis’ report on September 11, Chief Prosecutor Chu Hye-yoon at the 2nd Criminal Division of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office reportedly charged Suga with violating the Road Traffic Act. He was indicted with a penalty of 15 million KRW won on September 10 for drunk driving on an electric scooter.
A summary indictment is a procedure followed by the prosecutors to charge the offenders through monetary fines in the written format. In this process, no court trial is held as the indictment takes place through written documents.
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More about BTS’ Suga's DUI charges and penalty
On August 6, the 31-year-old K-pop idol Suga whose real name is Min Yoon-gi was found drunk driving on an electric scooter in Yongsan, Seoul. While taking a turn near the entrance of Nine One Hannam, the BTS member lost his balance and fell.
He was helped by policemen patrolling the area and as they conducted a breathalyzer test on him, the alcohol blood concentration level was reportedly found to be 0.227 percent.
On August 7, the D-DAY singer's agency issued an official statement confirming the drunk driving charges of their artist and apologized to fans and everyone concerned. Notably, no property damage or harm was caused to anyone during the incident. The BTS member also issued an apology statement the same day through Weverse admitting his wrongdoing.
According to South Korean law, a person charged with drunk driving who has an alcohol blood content level higher than 0.08 percent is subject to getting their license revoked.
Furthermore, they may also be sentenced to jail for less than two years but not more than five years, or receive a fine of a minimum of 10 million KRW and a maximum of 20 million KRW.
As per Donga Ilbo report on August 9, Suga reportedly exceeded the license revocation limit which was 0.08 percent. On September 10, he reportedly received a fine of 15 million KRW for his charges.
Meanwhile, Suga made another apology statement through a handwritten letter on August 25, acknowledging his behavior while also apologizing to his fellow group members, fans, and staff members.
BTS’ fans sign petition in support of Suga
Previously, mainstream South Korean media agencies like JTBC and Yonhap released false CCTV footage claiming it to be BTS' Suga. The artist received massive backlash from other media outlets and netizens.
However, on August 14, Donga Ilbo released the original CCTV video of Suga's DUI incident debunking JTBC's reports. Fans showcased their support for the K-pop idol and demanded multiple media agencies apologize to the Daechwita singer for reporting misinformation.
On August 16, JTBC newsroom apologized to Suga for releasing the wrong CCTV video which was later subject to investigation by the Korea Communications Standards Commission. According to Variety's September 9 report, many ARMYs came together to sign a petition supporting Suga. They said:
"The Global ARMY Alliance supports all seven members of BTS.”
Currently, the Haegeum singer is serving in the military and is expected to be discharged from his duties in 2025.
