BTS star sentenced

Drunk driving on an e-scooter: Suga must pay 15 million

Suga appears remorseful in front of the police station in the Yongsan district of Seoul in August after he was found lying next to his e-scooter under the influence of alcohol.(Bild: APA/AFP/ANTHONY WALLACE)

South Korean pop star Suga from the world-famous K-pop band BTS has to pay a fine of 15 million won for drunk driving on an electric scooter. Of course, this sounds less shocking if you calculate the euro amount. 

As the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on Monday, citing judicial circles, a court in the capital Seoul sentenced the 31-year-old pop star to a fine of 15 million won (10,237 euros) on Friday. The court thus followed the prosecution's demand.

On the ground next to e-scooter
Police officers found Suga, whose real name is Min Yoon Gi, lying on the ground next to his e-scooter on the evening of August 6. His blood alcohol level was well above the legal limit. The singer, who is currently doing alternative military service in the social sector, has already had to surrender his driver's license as a result.

"Big mistake"
At the end of August, the singer wrote a handwritten letter of apology to his fans. Suga wrote in the letter that he had made a "big mistake" that he regretted "painfully" and had "tarnished" the name of his band.

According to police, Suga's blood alcohol level was 0.227 percent (around 2 per mille) - almost three times the legal limit. Anyone caught driving with a blood alcohol level of more than 0.2 percent in South Korea is liable to a fine of up to 20 million won or even a prison sentence of up to five years, according to traffic regulations.