BTS’ Suga issued an apology Wednesday for driving an electric scooter while under the influence of alcohol. The K-pop idol wrote in a statement that he had been fined for riding the scooter home while drunk Tuesday night — a violation of South Korea’s traffic laws — and had his driver’s license revoked.
A Seoul police officer told the New York Times that Suga was found alone on the ground and he was administered a breathalyzer test at a police station. His blood alcohol content was above the legal limit of 0.08 percent. Here’s Suga’s statement translated from Korean:
Hello. This is Suga.
I am very sorry and heartbroken to have to meet you all with such disappointment.
Last night, I rode an electric kickboard home after drinking at a dinner party. I violated the Road Traffic Act because I thought it was a short distance and did not realize that I could not use an electric kickboard while intoxicated. I fell down by myself while stopping the electric kickboard at the front gate of my house, and a police officer was nearby, so I tested my breathalyzer and had my license revoked and was fined. No one was harmed or any facilities damaged during the process, but it is my responsibility and I have no excuses, so I bow my head and apologize to everyone. I apologize to everyone who was hurt by my careless and wrongful actions, and I will be more careful in my actions to prevent such incidents from happening again.
BTS went on hiatus in 2022 in order for the members to start serving their compulsory military service. While his bandmates have all enlisted in the army, Suga is doing an alternative form of military service as a social service agent. He’s expected to complete his service in June 2025.