K-pop star apologises for drunk driving on e-scooter

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Kelly Rissman

US News Reporter

K-pop star Suga, a member of the boy band supergroup BTS, apologised on Wednesday after police in Seoul, the South Korean capital, fined him and revoked his licence for drunk driving while on an electric scooter.

The songwriter and rapper had ridden the scooter for about 500 m (1,640 ft) before he tripped when parking on Tuesday night, his label Big Hit Music, which is part of K-pop firm HYBE , said.

Suga failed a breathalyser test conducted by nearby police and was fined and his scooter licence taken away, the label said, adding that the incident caused no harm to anyone else or property damage.

“I violated the road traffic law because I was comfortable with the idea of being close (to home) and was not aware that you could not use an electric scooter when you are drunk,” Suga wrote in a post on Weverse, a fan platform owned by HYBE.

“I apologise to everyone who has been hurt by my careless and wrong behavior,” added Suga, whose birth name is Min Yoon-gi.

South Korea, which requires a licence for use of an electric scooter, can levy penalties for driving while drunk or injuring others.

Police accompanied the singer to his home, Big Hit Music said.

The incident is the latest example of K-pop performers sometimes falling short of their squeaky-clean image.

Since announcing a break from group projects in June 2022, BTS members pursued solo activities before starting military service.

The 31-year-old Suga has been engaged in social service work in order to meet his military duty commitment.

All able-bodied South Korean men aged 18 to 28 must serve for about two years in the military, though some are allowed to work as social service agents as an alternative form of duty.

Last month BTS member Jin delighted fans in Paris as carried the Olympic torch through the streets of the French capital on behalf of South Korea.

In his leg of the parade, he passed the Louvre Museum, before handing over to another one of the 11,000 torch bearers.

“I feel extremely honoured to have been able to participate in today’s torch relay. I sincerely thank ARMY and all the fans who made it possible for me to carry the torch,” he said in a statement.