Yang Se-chan, Aim at BTS’s Suga? “Kickboard Drunk Driving is Not Allowed, I’ll Call a Substitute Driver”

On August 8th, the YouTube channel “SsookSsook”uploaded a video titled “120,000 Pledge! I’ll Enjoy Eating Ramen Today!”

Yang Se-chan marked the achievement of 120,000 views in the video by indulging in a ramen mukbang. As he sipped on a beer provided by the video’s sponsor, he joked, “I actually used a kickboard to get here. But since I have some extra cash today, I’ll hire a substitute driver to take me home.”He then made a point to reiterate, “Just a friendly reminder, no drunk driving allowed.”

Yang Se-chan’s statement brought up BTS’s Suga’s recent drunk driving controversy, causing it to become a trending topic on the internet. While the video was most likely recorded prior to the incident, its timing was considered by many to be quite coincidental.

According to reports, Suga was arrested on the night of August 6th in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul for driving under the influence. He was discovered after falling off his vehicle and his blood alcohol level was allegedly above the legal limit for license revocation (over 0.08%).

Suga issued an apology on Weverse, explaining, “Last night, after having dinner and consuming alcohol, I rode an electric kickboard to get home. I was not aware that using an electric kickboard while under the influence of alcohol is against the Road Traffic Law. I regret my actions and apologize.”

BigHit Music, the agency representing him, also released a statement apologizing for the incident involving BTS member Suga, stating, “We regret the incident involving Suga’s use of an electric kickboard.”However, there were allegations that the vehicle in question resembled more of an “electric scooter”rather than a “kickboard,”as indicated by police reports and CCTV footage. This raised doubts that the term “kickboard”was deliberately used to minimize the severity of the incident.

The agency responded by stating that they had initially classified the vehicle as an ‘electric kickboard’ due to their understanding of it being a kickboard with a seat. However, upon further investigation, they discovered that the classification can vary depending on the product’s performance and specifications, which can also impact the level of responsibility for the incident. They emphasized that their intention was not to minimize the severity of the situation.

In the meantime, Suga has been fulfilling his duties as a public service worker since September of last year and is anticipated to complete his service and be released in June of next year.