BIGHIT MUSIC Apologizes For Conveying Misinformation About BTS' Suga's DUI Incident

BIGHIT MUSIC has released a new statement regarding BTS’ Suga’s drunk driving case.

On August 7, the Seoul Yongsan Police Station revealed that they had booked Suga for riding an electric scooter while under the influence of alcohol. Later that day, both BIGHIT MUSIC and Suga released separate apologies regarding the incident in which they referred to the vehicle used by Suga as an “electric kickboard.”

However, shortly afterwards, the police officially clarified that the vehicle in question was not a kickboard but a scooter with a seat, stating, “The vehicle that Suga drove while drunk has been classified as an electric scooter with a seat.”

Additionally, while BIGHIT MUSIC’s and Suga’s apologies appeared to suggest that the case had been concluded with the imposition of a fine and the revocation of his driver license, the police clarified that their investigations were still underway.

On August 8, BIGHIT MUSIC responded by releasing an additional statement apologizing for “having conveyed misinformation due to internal communication errors.” The agency emphasized that they had not intended to downplay the incident, explaining that they had mistakenly believed that the police had already concluded their investigations and closed the case.

The agency’s full statement is as follows:

Hello.
This is BIGHIT MUSIC.

We are making an additional statement regarding BTS member Suga.
First, we deeply apologize once again for having disappointed many people with this unsavory incident.
We also apologize for rushing to make a statement without carefully checking various circumstances and therefore creating confusion.

1) Regarding the use of the term “electric kickboard”
We determined that the vehicle used by the artist was a kickboard with a seat attached to it, so we described it as an “electric kickboard.” In the process of checking further, we learned that the categorization of the vehicle may differ based on its capabilities and specifications, and we also learned that the scope of liability for the accident could change as well. We had absolutely no intention of downplaying the incident, as some are saying we did. We apologize once again for hastily making a statement without reviewing the incident more carefully. When the investigative authorities come to a decision on the categorization of the vehicle in question, we will diligently take full responsibility according to their decision.

2) Regarding the imposition of a fine and the revocation of [Suga’s] license
On August 6, after the artist underwent the police’s breathalyzer test at the scene of the incident, he was immediately sent home.
Both our agency and the artist did not realize that there were still steps remaining to be taken in the investigative process, and we mistakenly thought that the case in question had been closed. In light of the severity of the case, we apologize for having conveyed misinformation due to internal communication errors.

Above all else, both the artist and our agency bow our heads in apology for the fact that he was not able to show an exemplary image during his military service and that he caused an unsavory incident during his period of service. We also sincerely apologize to the fans who must have been disappointed.

We will diligently cooperate with the police’s additional investigations in the future, and we will humbly accept the result of their investigations.

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