The new claims involve the electric scooter he was riding lacking a license plate and not being covered by mandatory insurance.
On August 19th, a post on the online community DC Inside titled “Request Formal Investigation into the Suga Case” sparked attention.
The author stated that they had submitted a complaint to the Yongsan Police Station via the National Petition Portal, urging a thorough investigation into the scooter’s registration (license plate attachment) and mandatory insurance status. They requested strict penalties if any illegal activities were confirmed.
The complaint referenced Suga’s explanation on August 7th that he did not realize electric kickboards (electric scooters) were prohibited under drunk driving laws and thus violated traffic regulations. This suggests that his ignorance of the legal aspects of electric scooters raises suspicions about the lack of a license plate and mandatory insurance.
If Suga’s electric scooter is confirmed to be one that did not undergo “motorcycle use registration”, a fine of 500,000 won will be imposed according to Article 84 (Fines) Section 4 Item 18 of the Automobile Management Act and Article 20 (Imposition of Fines) of the Enforcement Decree of the Automobile Management Act. If it is confirmed that he did not have mandatory insurance, he could face up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won, in accordance with Article 46 (Penalties) Section 3 Item 2 of the Automobile Liability Compensation Act.
On August 6th, Suga was found fallen alone while riding an electric scooter in the Yongsan area. Police nearby helped him and noticed the smell of alcohol, leading to his transfer to the local police patrol unit.
Immediately following the initial report, Suga and his agency Big Hit Music apologised, stating he was riding an “electric kickboard”. However, it was later confirmed that he was on an “electric scooter” with a seat, fueling suspicions of downplaying the incident.
Moreover, although Suga reportedly told police he had “only one beer”, his blood alcohol concentration was found to be 0.227%, significantly higher than the license suspension level (0.08%), worsening public opinion.
The police plan to finalize Suga’s summons schedule this week and conduct a detailed investigation into the drunk driving case
