Big Hit Music Issues Second Statement on BTS Suga's Drinking Incident Allegations

Discovered drinking incident in the evening of the 6th

(MHNSports Reporter Sun Shin) While BTS member Suga was involved in a drinking incident during his military service, the agency has issued another statement addressing allegations that they attempted to downplay the incident.

On the 8th, Big Hit Music posted another statement regarding BTS Suga's drinking incident on the fan communication community platform Weverse.

The agency stated, "We deeply apologize once again for disappointing many people due to this unfortunate incident. We also apologize for the confusion caused by hurriedly releasing a statement without thoroughly examining all circumstances."

The police stated that Suga was riding an electric scooter at the time of the incident, but the agency referred to it as an electric kickboard in their official statement.

In response to the allegations that they tried to downplay the incident, the agency clarified, "We described the product used by the artist as an electric kickboard because it has a seat. During the further verification process, we realized that the classification and the scope of responsibility could change depending on the product's specifications. There was no intention to downplay the incident, and we apologize once again for not examining the situation thoroughly and speaking hastily. Once the investigation agency classifies the product, we will faithfully fulfill the responsibilities accordingly."

The agency also acknowledged, "We mistakenly thought that the incident had concluded without realizing that further procedures were pending. We apologize for the internal communication error that led to the delivery of incorrect information. We are truly sorry for causing such an unfortunate incident during the period when the artist should be setting an exemplary model while fulfilling his military duties. We will cooperate sincerely with any further police investigations and humbly accept the results."

Earlier, the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul announced on the 6th that BTS Suga was booked for a violation of the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving) and was under investigation.

According to the police, Suga was found fallen on an electric scooter on a street in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the night of the 6th. His blood alcohol level was at a level warranting license revocation.

Given that the incident occurred during his military service, there was significant attention on the punishment Suga might face.

According to the regulations announced by the Military Manpower Administration regarding prohibited acts and penalties for social service agents, if such acts occur during working hours, they face an additional 5 days of extended service for each warning.

However, as Suga's incident occurred outside of working hours, general criminal law applies.

Meanwhile, BTS Suga has been serving as a social service agent since last September and completed basic military training in March. He is scheduled to be discharged in June next year.

Below is the full text of Big Hit Music's second apology.

Hello, this is Big Hit Music.

We would like to provide an additional statement regarding BTS member Suga.

First and foremost, we deeply apologize once again for disappointing many people due to this unfortunate incident.

We also apologize for causing confusion by hastily releasing a statement without thoroughly examining all circumstances.

1) Regarding the use of the term electric kickboard

We described the product used by the artist as an electric kickboard because it has a seat. During the further verification process, we realized that the classification and the scope of responsibility could change depending on the product's specifications. As some have suggested, there was no intention to downplay the incident. We apologize once again for not examining the situation thoroughly and speaking hastily. Once the investigation agency classifies the product, we will faithfully fulfill the responsibilities accordingly.

2) Regarding the imposition of fines and license revocation

The artist complied with the police's breathalyzer test on the scene on the 6th and was allowed to return home immediately after.

We mistakenly thought that the incident had concluded without realizing that further procedures were pending. We apologize for the internal communication error that led to the delivery of incorrect information.

We deeply apologize for causing such an unfortunate incident during the period when the artist should be setting an exemplary model while fulfilling his military duties. We are sincerely sorry to the fans who were disappointed.

We will cooperate sincerely with any further police investigations and humbly accept the results.

Photo = MHN Sports DB, Big Hit Music