BTS Member Jungkook Forwarded to Prosecution, Could Be Indicted Over Crashing Car Into Taxi

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Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel, health, home/interior design and property/real estate. Soo covered the COVID-19 pandemic extensively from 2020 to 2022, including several interviews with the chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Soo has reported on various major news events, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. Capitol riots, the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. and Canadian elections, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Soo is also a South Korea expert, covering the latest K-dramas—including the breakout hit Squid Game, which she has covered extensively, including from Seoul, the South Korean capital—as well as Korean films, such as the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Past Lives, and K-pop news, to interviews with the biggest Korean actors, such as Lee Jung-jae from Squid Game and Star Wars, and Korean directors, such as Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Celine Song. Soo is the author of the book How to Live Korean, which is available in 11 languages, and co-author of the book Hello, South Korea: Meet the Country Behind Hallyu. Before Newsweek, Soo was a travel reporter and commissioning editor for the award-winning travel section of The Daily Telegraph (a leading U.K. national newspaper) for nearly a decade from 2010, reporting on the latest in the travel industry, from travel news, consumer travel and aviation issues to major new openings and emerging destinations. Soo is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York and the journalism school of City University in London, where she earned a Masters in international journalism. You can get in touch with Soo by emailing s.kim@newsweek.com . Follow her on Instagram at @miss.soo.kim or X, formerly Twitter, at @MissSooKim .Languages spoken: English and Korean

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Jungkook from K-pop boy band BTS has been referred by police for potential prosecution due to "serious negligence" and violation of traffic laws following a car crash earlier this year.

Seoul's Yongsan Police Station have recommended indictment against the singer for violating the South Korea's Road Traffic Act and violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents, Soompi reports.

"Police summoned and carried out an interrogation of Jungkook on Nov. 28. He and the victim smoothly settled the case, but the police asked for a legal indictment of him because of the serious negligence involved in the accident," the police said in a statement, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reports.

The singer was under investigation last month after an October car accident in the Hannam-dong neighborhood of central Seoul, where he lives in a luxury complex with the other members of BTS. A Mercedes Benz driven by Jungkook crashed into a local taxi.

Jungkook was reported to have been sober at the time of the accident. Neither the singer nor the taxi driver sustained any major injuries but were treated at a local hospital for bruising.

"Immediately after the accident, Jungkook admitted he violated the traffic signals violation laws. He followed the legally required procedures at the scene and answered to police who arrived at the scene. Afterward, he reached an agreement of compromisation with the victim," Big Hit Entertainment, BTS' management company, announced in a statement at the time of the incident.

The latest news follows the K-pop group's sweeping win at the 2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards, one of the biggest music awards in Asia, last week.

BTS walked away with nine wins, including the top four awards. The awards included artist of the year, song of the year for their track "Boy with Luv" featuring Halsey, album of the year for Map of the Soul: Persona, and worldwide icon of the year.

The band also bagged several wins at the 2019 American Music Awards last month, where they won the awards for tour of the year, favorite duo or group (pop/rock) and favorite social artist, beating the likes of Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, the Jonas Brother and Shawn Mendes in all three categories.

Despite the AMA nods, fans were outraged when the K-pop group did not receive any nominations for next year's Grammy Awards.

Last month, the South Korean government announced that BTS and other male K-pop stars will not be exempt from mandatory military service in South Korea under new government regulations.

BTS Jungkook Jingle Ball 2019
Jungkook of BTS performs onstage during 102.7 KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2019. Getty Images
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About the writer

Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel, health, home/interior design and property/real estate. Soo covered the COVID-19 pandemic extensively from 2020 to 2022, including several interviews with the chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Soo has reported on various major news events, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. Capitol riots, the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. and Canadian elections, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Soo is also a South Korea expert, covering the latest K-dramas—including the breakout hit Squid Game, which she has covered extensively, including from Seoul, the South Korean capital—as well as Korean films, such as the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Past Lives, and K-pop news, to interviews with the biggest Korean actors, such as Lee Jung-jae from Squid Game and Star Wars, and Korean directors, such as Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Celine Song. Soo is the author of the book How to Live Korean, which is available in 11 languages, and co-author of the book Hello, South Korea: Meet the Country Behind Hallyu. Before Newsweek, Soo was a travel reporter and commissioning editor for the award-winning travel section of The Daily Telegraph (a leading U.K. national newspaper) for nearly a decade from 2010, reporting on the latest in the travel industry, from travel news, consumer travel and aviation issues to major new openings and emerging destinations. Soo is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York and the journalism school of City University in London, where she earned a Masters in international journalism. You can get in touch with Soo by emailing s.kim@newsweek.com . Follow her on Instagram at @miss.soo.kim or X, formerly Twitter, at @MissSooKim .Languages spoken: English and Korean

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Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more