Additional Comments on BTS Suga’s Military Service Controversy

While riding an electric scooter near his home in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of August 6th, Suga, who works as a social service worker, fell. Police officers who happened to be walking nearby discovered Suga and observed that he was intoxicated. As a result, they brought him to a nearby district police office. A breathalyzer test revealed that Suga’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.227%, above the legal limit for driving and could result in his license being revoked.

Despite Suga’s statement about only drinking one cup of beer before riding a scooter, netizens criticized him even more as the 0.227% blood alcohol level was considered too high. As a result, his agency Big Hit Music issued an apology on the 7th.

During his military service, Suga was involved in a drunk driving controversy which brought to light other incidents and details about his service. According to a social service worker, referred to as A, they received five days of basic training together from November 20th to 24th last year. A stated that Suga, who was the leader of their group, did not actively participate in class for the duration of their training. Despite being scolded by the instructor, Suga would simply nod and then go back to using his phone or sleeping. A also described Suga as having the lowest level of participation and behaving like a bully.

A civil petition was ultimately submitted to the Military Manpower Administration to look into Suga’s behavior while serving in the military. The petition has since been transferred to the Seoul Regional Military Manpower Administration and they are presently conducting an investigation.

Afterward, A garnered attention for persistently exposing Suga’s negligence in his service, stating, “Suga is the reason why I made headlines. I could potentially face severe backlash from ARMY (BTS’s fanbase), don’t you think?”

A person asked, “Will Suga’s company sue you?”A responded, “Even if they do for my statement about him being a bully, I doubt I’ll be fined. I’ve examined the situation closely and thankfully, I didn’t write too much about it at the time.”

One person responded, “If your statement is true, you have nothing to worry about.”Another chimed in, “I wasn’t worried to begin with. I’m just glad I wrote it down in a formal manner nine months ago.”

Upon being asked if the content was true, A responded by stating that if it were false, they would have deleted the post and avoided the situation. Like others, the issue was not that the individual was a public figure or eligible for special leave as a group leader, but rather their lack of participation and being reprimanded by the instructor. This left a negative impression on A.

At the same time, Suga’s electric scooter falls under the category of a motorized bicycle according to the Automobile Management Act. As per the Road Traffic Act, it is considered equivalent to a car, and therefore, operating it while under the influence of alcohol can result in criminal consequences. The police have already finished verifying his travel route and distance, and Suga is currently cooperating with the ongoing investigation.

The source for this information can be found on Star News at https://www.starnewskorea.com/stview.php?no=2024081519442118984&MLN.