BTS SUGA’s blood alcohol level was reportedly over 7 times higher than the legal limit during his recent DUI incident.
According to reports on August 9, the Yongsan Police Station revealed SUGA’s blood alcohol level was at 0.227% when he was operating an electric scooter. It’s reported SUGA told police he only had 1 glass of beer, but if reports are true, it’s likely he had more to drink.
Under the Road Traffic Act, the legal BAC limit is 0.03%, and anyone who drives with a blood alcohol level over 0.08% or higher could face a fine of 5 million won ($3,664 USD) to 10 million won ($7,329 USD) or a prison sentence of 1 to 5 years depending on how much over they are. However, a blood alcohol level of over 0.2% increases the possible fine to 10 million won to 20 million won ($14,640) or a prison sentence between 2 to 5 years. The Yongsan Police Station has not yet decided whether to revoke SUGA’s driver’s license. The BTS member would be unable to obtain a license for 1 year if it is revoked.
As previously reported, BIGHIT MUSIC received criticism after news of SUGA’s DUI charges made news headlines for allegedly trying to “scale down” the gravity of the issue by emphasizing that the vehicle used by the idol was an “electric scooter” and other reasons, which the label apologized for. There still remained confusion over whether SUGA was driving an electric scooter or a kickboard as well as questions about what kind of punishment he will face, but police have stated he will face a criminal investigation for operating an electric scooter drunk, which is considered the same as operating a car under South Korean law.