BTS member SUGA has been summarily indicted by prosecutors for his drunk driving incident involving an electric scooter last month. The K-pop idol has been fined under the Road Traffic Act, although the exact amount has not been disclosed.
The summary indictment process allows the court to impose penalties and fines based on a written document, avoiding a formal trial. SUGA’s case was forwarded to the prosecution on August 30 after he was questioned at the Yongsan Police Station on August 23.
The controversy began on August 6 when SUGA fell off an electric scooter while making a sharp turn near his residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul. A police officer who noticed alcohol on his breath conducted a breathalyzer test, which reportedly showed a blood alcohol content of 0.227%. This is at least eight times higher than the legal limit of 0.08% in South Korea, which can lead to license revocation.
According to the Road Traffic Act, a blood alcohol level higher than 0.02% can result in fines ranging from 10 million to 20 million KRW (approximately $7,400 to $14,700).
However, the exact figure of SUGA’s blood alcohol content at the time of the incident was never officially confirmed by the police.
SUGA, whose real name is Min Yoon-gi, has been fulfilling his mandatory military service as a social service agent since September 2023. The incident occurred outside his official working hours and will not affect his position.
With the summary indictment, the long-running investigation into SUGA’s drunk driving case has come to an end. The BTS member had previously apologized for his actions and acknowledged that he mistakenly thought riding an electric scooter while intoxicated was not against the law.
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