JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
BTS' SUGA DUI case: South Korean politician proposes 1 million KRW fine, harsher punishment and law revision after rapper's incident
Following BTS’ SUGA’s DUI case, South Korean politicians have proposed some changes in the Road Traffic Act. Read on to know more.
In light of BTS’ SUGA’s recent drunk driving incident, the Road Traffic Act in South Korea might face some changes. As per recent reports, South Korean politicians have proposed a 1 million KRW fine and harsher punishment for drunk driving personal mobility devices. They also demanded a law revision after the rapper's incident.
On August 22, Korean media outlets reported that several Democratic Party representatives proposed a few changes in traffic laws in light of BTS’ SUGA’s ongoing DUI case.
According to the National Assembly, Lee Chun Seok, the main representative of the Democratic Party of Korea, proposed that a fine of up to 1 million KRW should be imposed for driving an electric scooter without proper license. The current fine is up to 300,000 KRW. He reportedly stated, “A harsher punishment is necessary to raise awareness of the risks”.
Another Democratic Party lawmaker, Lim Ho Seon proposed a partial amendment of the Road Traffic Act that will equate drunk driving personal mobility devices with driving a car under the influence of alcohol.
In light of the recent incident, he demanded imposing a 20 million KRW fine or a five-year prison sentence for intoxicated electric scooter drivers. His proposal also includes reducing the maximum legal speed to under 20 km/h.
The current law for drunk driving PM devices imposes a fine of up to 200,000 KRW, detention, or a penalty surcharge. Whereas, if an automobile driver is caught intoxicated, he might face a minimum of 1-year prison sentence or a fine of up to 5 million KRW. Depending on the blood alcohol content, it can increase up to 2 to 5 years in prison or a 10 to 20 million KRW fine.
Lee Byeong Jin, another representative of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea proposed a bill that will mandate personal mobility device businesses to verify their driver’s license before renting. He demanded a fine of up to 5 million KRW should be imposed if failed to follow the requirements. He pointed out how unlicensed underage teenagers often operate electric scooters and kickboards without valid knowledge of road traffic laws.
Meanwhile, SUGA is set to be summoned by police soon for further investigation of his DUI incident.
Latest Articles
