Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Alright, now that I’ve caught up on everything I’ve missed, let’s get to the latest on the DUI case of BTS‘s Suga, where there’s been a reversal of perspective on what happened. While I updated the previous post as soon as I could — where public sentiment seemed to be getting worse — this warrants a separate update.
So basically, the initial CCTV video from JTBC was in fact not Suga at all, as it was somebody going in the opposite direction of him. Obviously a big failure on their part to not authenticate that and put it out there, since it colored perspectives. Furthermore, DongA Ilbo has released similar CCTV footage as Yonhap News of him falling over on a scooter, but with clearer video and from a straight-on angle.
TV CHOSUN
— kx2mamaV ーType1 KTH (@v_kx2mama) August 14, 2024
【映像単独】
BTSシュガーの飲酒運転動線確認···作業室から移動中に居住地の正門前で倒れる
TV朝鮮が飲酒状態で電動スクーターを運転した疑いで警察に立件されたBTSメンバーシュガーの動線が盛り込まれた閉鎖回路(CC)TV映像を単独で確保した。… pic.twitter.com/orBMgTRWob
This is significant, because the JTBC footage made it look like he was driving something like a moped on the road, whereas this shows a smaller scooter that’s similar to a seated kickboard.
Furthermore, police also said he was indeed returning home when this happened.
According to police, SUGA’s movements that evening were as follows: around 9PM he had drinks with acquaintances at a restaurant in Hannam-dong, then he went to his private studio where he drank again, and then around 11PM he left the studio on the electric scooter to head to Nine One Hannam. SUGA was then found by police after he fell in front of the main gate of Nine One Hannam. The electric scooter SUGA was riding is a foldable model that cannot have its seat removed with a top speed of up to 30 km/h (18.64 mph) and a motor output of 1.2 kW. It’s reported to be classified as a “moped” under traffic laws, and SUGA is subject to criminal charges for drunk driving.
Okay, so basically he was indeed drunk and riding something that is an electric scooter by law, according to previous police statements. Thus, there’s still a question as to what the legal outcome will be. However, in terms of perception of the incident, this certainly could help Suga a lot. It’s definitely not a moped, he wasn’t operating it at a high speed, and he did fall over on his own without hitting anything or anybody.
Obviously this is still not something you want to be doing or encouraging, as it could’ve ended up being much worse (and that is why there’s still legal to deal with), but this certainly doesn’t appear to be the borderline Kim Sae Ron situation that initial media reports were painting a picture of. Rather, it feels like more the kind of thing one can ride out if nothing worse comes out and he serves the rest of the military time without further issue.
