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BTS star Suga's drunk driving case has been closed. The rapper cooperated fully throughout the month-long investigation. Nevertheless, he was still subjected to a brutal witch hunt.
Initial report
On the morning of August 7, 2024, South Korean news outlet Yonhap reported that BTS’ Suga was under investigation by the Yongsan Police Station for driving while under the influence. As per the report, Suga was found “by himself, fallen off the electric kickboard and on the streets” on the night of August 6. Police who were patrolling the area spotted him and took him to the nearest police station as he smelled of alcohol.
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Following Yonhap’s report, Newsis released Suga’s alleged breathalyzer test results. Despite not specifying the exact percentage, the media outlet stated that Suga's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) had "passed 0.08%" at the time of the test. In South Korea, the legal limit for blood alcohol content for drivers is 0.03%.
BIGHIT MUSIC confirms reports, Suga issues apology
Just a couple of hours later, BTS’ label BIGHIT MUSIC released an official statement. Apologizing on behalf of Suga, the label claimed that the rapper’s license had been revoked and that he had been fined. “We apologize for the matter of BTS’ Suga driving home on an electric kickboard while drunk. On the night of August 6, Suga used a helmet while driving an electric kickboard home after drinking. He had driven around 500m before he parked and fell down. Through a police officer who had been nearby, a breathalyzer test was conducted, and as per the results, Suga’s license was revoked, and he was fined. No casualties occurred through the incident; neither was any property damaged,” the statement read.
Soon after, Suga penned a personal apology note on Weverse. Explaining the incident, he wrote, "I rode an electric kickboard home last night, after having drinks with dinner. I thought that it was a close distance, and I did not realize that I could not operate an electric kickboard after drinking. As such, I violated traffic rules. I parked in front of the main gates to my home, and in that process, I fell over by myself. Police were nearby, and through the results of a breathalyzer test, my license was revoked and I paid a fine. Although no one was hurt, and no property was damaged, this is inexcusably something I have to take responsibility for, and I apologize to everyone."
🐱 hello this is suga.i come with a heavy and sorry heart to you guys <through weverse> due to a disappointing event.last night after drinking at dinner, i went home by riding an electric scooter. I violated the road traffic laws due to me thinking easily that it’s close… pic.twitter.com/1wXsHTx4N4
— haruharu💜 (slow) (@haruharu_w_bts) August 7, 2024
Police's first statement
Despite his apology, Suga faced massive backlash. Many netizens called for his exit from BTS. Trucks and wreaths carrying messages demanding Suga’s removal from the group were sent to HYBE’s headquarters.
The backlash worsened on August 7, when the Yongsan Police station stated that Suga had operated an electric scooter with a seat, not an electric kickboard, while under the influence. The police also clarified that Suga had not yet been fined nor had his license been revoked, contradicting BIGHIT MUSIC and the BTS star's statements. Netizens accused BIGHIT MUSIC and Suga of lying and trying to minimize the situation.
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As the backlash grew, on August 8, BIGHIT MUSIC issued a second apology and clarified the misinformation that was spread due to their initial statement.
Found CCTV footage
While the media trial against Suga had slowly begun after BIGHIT MUSIC issued a statement that contained misinformation about the incident, it became a full-blown trial after JTBC’s Newsroom aired the alleged CCTV footage capturing Suga driving the electric scooter down a multi-lane street. Soon after, Yonhap News also released alleged CCTV footage of Suga’s drunk driving incident. Both videos were later proven to be fake, but many believed that they were real at the time of their release. In both the videos, ‘Suga’ was seen speeding along the street on a scooter, leading netizens to believe Yoongi was lying again.
More protests were started to get Suga removed from the group. He was handed a verdict even before the trial. The backlash kept escalating as reports claimed that Suga had over 0.227% blood alcohol content, would face the same charges as a person who was driving a car drunk and more.
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Amid a slew of criticism, HYBE remained firm. While the label did not directly address demands for Suga to be removed, insiders confirmed that such discussions were not even happening at the label. On August 14, the entire CCTV footage issue was put to an end when TV Chosun released real footage from the incident. In the video, Suga could clearly be seen falling off his electric scooter in front of his house, like he had claimed. While JTBC issued an apology, the damage had already been done.
Here's the real SUGA's CCTV footage was revealed by TV Chosun.. He was going on the side of the road, wearing helmet and the speed of the electric scooter was a normal as a human being could walk..Because of such a peak thing, he has received so much hate for no reason..… pic.twitter.com/E1SyJv5N6e
— BTS Updates, News & Charts ⁷ (@_BTSMoments_) August 14, 2024
Suga continued to be attacked. With the backlash showing no signs of dying down, even after Suga bowed his head in apology while appearing at a Seoul police station for questioning over the case, the BTS star issued a second apology. "Everything is my fault. Due to my carelessness, everyone who cares about me is going through a difficult time. I will live my life reflecting and making efforts not to commit such wrongdoings again," he wrote.
Spring Day: Suga's case closes
Amid K-media’s accusations and netizens backlash, Suga’s DUI case was sent to the prosecution. Then, on September 10, Seoul’s Western District Prosecution Office revealed the rapper had been served a summary indictment. This meant that he would be fined based on written documents rather than put on formal trial. With that, Suga’s month-long case was officially closed.
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Suga wasn't even tried formally, but the media trial that he was put through for over a month was enough to almost ruin his career. While media activism has played a major role in solving cases around the world, in Suga’s case outlets were just out to tarnish his image. The BTS star did break South Korea’s strict traffic road laws. However, why were theories being presented as facts and fake videos being circulated?