BTS Suga May Face 'Up to 5 Years Imprisonment'...Effectively Intoxicated Level

"Punishments Likely to Vary Based on Driving Distance and Blood Alcohol Concentration"

Group BTS member Suga (Min Yoon-gi) is reportedly set to undergo an official police summons investigation soon, drawing attention to the level of punishment he may face. Attorney Jung Jin-ah predicted that Suga could be sentenced to up to five years in prison or fined up to 20 million won.

On the 13th, Attorney Jung said on KBS Radio's 'Jeonggyeok Sisa,' "Suga's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is reported to be 0.227%, which is practically at the level of complete intoxication. This might be the highest BAC recorded among those who caused trouble due to drunk driving in history." He explained, "If the BAC is above 0.2%, the punishment can be imprisonment from two to five years or a fine ranging from 10 million to 20 million won." Under current law, the license cancellation threshold is 0.08% or higher.

BTS member Suga. [Image source=Big Hit Music]

Attorney Jung stated that the severity of the sentence could vary depending on what vehicle Suga was operating, amid suspicions that Suga's side tried to downplay the drunk driving incident. He said, "Initially, Suga's agency claimed he was riding an electric kickboard, but the police consider the vehicle he was on to be an electric scooter." He added, "Later, Suga's side explained that they failed to properly distinguish between the two, but legally, electric kickboards and electric scooters are classified differently, resulting in different levels of punishment. Therefore, they could not avoid criticism that they were trying to reduce the sentence."

He continued, "In the case of an electric kickboard, drunk driving results in only a 100,000 won fine, but for an electric scooter, the criminal punishment is at the same level as for a regular car." He predicted, "The punishment will vary depending on the blood alcohol concentration."

Attorney Jung also noted, "Confirming the route Suga took while riding the electric scooter will be an important factor." He added, "Initially, the agency said he traveled about 500 meters, but closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showed the distance was about 1.5 km along the roadway."

However, it appears that Suga, who is a social service agent, will not face separate disciplinary action from the Military Manpower Administration or his service institution. Attorney Jung said, "Social service agents are civilians, so they can be disciplined according to social service agent penalty regulations, which cover maintaining dignity and misconduct during working hours." He added, "But this is limited to working hours, so there will be no separate disciplinary action for drunk driving that occurred outside working hours." Suga's discharge date is June next year.

The police are currently planning to summon Suga to the police station soon to investigate the circumstances and amount of alcohol consumed. They have also initiated administrative procedures to cancel his license.