BTS's Suga to be summoned for police questioning on Thursday

Suga of boy band BTS will be summoned for a questioning at the police on Thursday.

Suga of boy band BTS in May 2021 [JOONGANG ILBO]

Suga of boy band BTS will be summoned for questioning by police on Thursday.

The 31-year-old BTS singer, whose real name is Min Yoon-gi, will attend an additional investigation into the singer’s DUI charges, a police official said Wednesday evening.

The time of his arrival was not disclosed by police. The police said earlier this week that it will not set up a photo line where suspects stand before the press and answer questions.

Suga was investigated for the first time on Aug. 6 for driving an electric scooter under the influence of alcohol in Yongsan District, central Seoul, the same day.

Suga and his agency BigHit Music came under fire for allegedly attempting to minimize the harm in the DUI case, stating that the singer was driving an electric stand-up scooter instead of a seated electric scooter in their apology the day after the accident. The agency later stated on Aug. 8 that it "will fully abide by the responsibilities depending on how authorities decide to categorize the vehicle."

The singer is currently fulfilling his mandatory military service as a social service agent, a role that typically involves a regular daily work schedule, allowing him to return home after work hours. The BTS member is scheduled to complete his service in June next year.

Suga’s blood alcohol level when he was caught driving under the influence was 0.227 percent, high enough to qualify for a revocation of his driver’s license — a punishment imposed from a threshold of 0.08 percent.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]