Big Hit Music, the agency of BTS member Suga, issued a new apology Thursday morning related to the K-pop megastar's recent drunk driving, stating that it referring to the vehicle used in the incident as "a kick scooter" was in no way intended to understate the gravity of the situation.
"There was no intention at all to downplay the situation as suggested by some. We once again apologize for hastily addressing the issue without more consideration," the company said, related to Suga's drunk-driving incident on Wednesday. "We had believed that the vehicle used by our artist was a kickboard with a seat, and later realized that the categorization and legal responsibility varies depending on the vehicle's capacity."
Big Hit Music's initial apology Wednesday only mentioned the administrative penalties Suga had received, leaving out that he would be subject to police investigation for further criminal punishment. The agency said neglecting the details was an honest mistake on their part, stating that neither the company nor the artist had been aware that further police investigation was due.
"We will fully cooperate with the police's further investigation, and vow to comply with its results," the agency said. "We sincerely apologize to the fans who were disappointed (by the incident)."
Suga had also issued his apology Wednesday and said he accepts full responsibility for his actions.
Electric kick scooters and larger types of electric-powered bicycles are both commonly referred to as e-scooters but are categorized differently in South Korea's Road Traffic Act. The motorized bike Suga used in the incident is not considered an electric kick scooter under the law.
Legal differences and different punishment
Electric kick scooters and electric-powered bicycles that weigh under 30 kilograms with a maximum speed of under 25 kilometers per hour are categorized as personal mobility devices (PM) by law, and do not require registrations. But motorized bicycles with a maximum speed of 25 and over require registrations.
There is not much practical difference between the two types of vehicles other than slight differences in size and speed, but the drunk-driving punishment for them varies. Those who operate electric kick scooters under the influence of alcohol are subject to only administrative penalties, but those driving the faster type of motorized bikes are also subject to criminal punishment.
This is because Article 148-2 of the Road Traffic Act, which covers punishment for drunk driving, explicitly excludes the smaller and slower PMs. The administrative punishment for the drunk driving of a PM is stipulated in Article 93-1 of the same act, which states that refusal to comply with DUI testing can lead to a criminal punishment -- a court-ordered fine.
Those who injure another person while drunk driving PM are also subject to criminal punishment, as the related clause in the Act on the Aggravated Punishment Etc. of Specific Crimes does not exclude PMs.
Suga's drunk driving did not injure anyone, meaning it is unlikely he will face a serious punishment.
Suga, currently serving his mandatory military duty as a public service agent, was found to have operated the scooter while intoxicated on Tuesday. He fell off the vehicle in Yongsan-gu, and the police officers who came to assist him suspected drunk driving and transferred him to a local police station.
Though the incident occurred while the K-pop superstar serves as a member of the military, the Military Manpower Administration said he is not subject to military law, since the incident happened after his duty hours and was not related to his duty.
In a separate statement Thursday, the MMA said the incident would not affect his service and the military will not punish him, as he is already facing punishment from the civilian justice system.
The MMA did state that it would reinforce its legal compliance education of the social service agents, along with its management of the service members in that particular force.
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