K-Pop sensation Suga from BTS has license revoked for operating an 'electric kickboard' while intoxicated

Min-Yoon Gi, known professionally as Suga, was booked at a Seoul police station after failing a breathalyzer test on Tuesday night.

Min Yoon-gi, known professionally as Suga and a member of the wildly popular K-Pop band BTS, has been booked on DUI charges in Seoul.

Suga was discovered on the ground of a parking lot late Tuesday night after having crashed his electric vehicle. Police administered a breathalyzer test, which the singer failed. Suga's license has been revoked and he's been charged a fine, according to AP.

Suga's label, Big Hit Music, are maintaining that the vehicle Suga was operating is an "electric kickboard." Suga himself repeated the term in an apology posted to WeVerse, a popular South Korean social media app. "After drinking at dinner last night, I rode home on an electric kickboard," he wrote. "I violated road traffic laws without realizing that I was not allowed to use an electric scooter while drunk and thought it was a short distance away."

The type of vehicle he was driving is important, because it determines the class of the offense. Police describe the vehicle as a scooter with a seat, which makes driving while intoxicated a crime under the country's Road Traffic Act.

Suga continued in his apology: "Although no one was harmed or any facilities were damaged during this process, I bow my head in apology to everyone as it is my responsibility and there is no room for excuses."

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Since the Republic of Korea was established in 1948, the country has mandated military service for all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 35, and 18-21 months of military service are required. Alternative forms of service are granted to certain athletes, artists, and those otherwise deemed unfit for service.

The Korean conscription law is what put BTS on hiatus in 2022. Suga is already over a year into fulfilling his duty as a social service agent, an alternative assignment he was granted due to a 2020 shoulder injury, not because of his superstardom. As of 2023, all seven members of BTS are performing their mandatory service, with Suga receiving the only alternative assignment.

A spokesperson from the Military Manpower Administration told AP that the incident will have no impact on Suga's service since it occurred outside of working hours.

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While Suga's conduct was not deemed unfit by the MMA, it has reignited outrage over the percieved recklessness of some K-Pop idols, coming just months after singer Kim Ho-joong was charged with a hit and run while intoxicated. The South China Morning Post that as many as 10 petitions have been filed to remove the singer from broadcasts and even "expel" him from the industry.

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Suga's own incident is decidedly less egregious, but the singer is taking it seriously. "I apologize to everyone who was hurt by my careless and wrong actions," he wrote on Weverse, "and I will be more careful in my actions to avoid such incidents in the future."

Jin became the first member of BTS to complete his military duties in June. The band have confirmed they plan to reunite when every member has completed their service in 2025.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.