On September 20, it is reported that the Seoul City Council is planning to propose a ban on electric scooters and kickboards in the city.
According to the council, from 2019 to 2024, a total of 7,854 electric scooter accidents occurred nationwide. The number of incidents rose each year: 447 in 2019, 897 in 2020, 1,735 in 2024, 2,386 in 2024, and 2,389 in 2024.
The council also cited countries like France and Australia have already decided to ban electric scooters due to safety concerns. Various cities across Europe are also tightening regulations or considering a ban.
Additionally, the drunk driving incident of BTS’s Suga was mentioned as a major driver behind the ban proposal. In August, BTS member Suga’s drunk driving incident on an electric scooter brought attention to the rising number of accidents, including fatalities.
It was also noted that “the current level of regulation and public education is insufficient to expect any significant improvement.”
Upon seeing this news, Korean netizens seem to be enthusiastic, agreeing with the ban. Suga’s name is also brought up repeatedly.
Below are some comments from netizens:
- Suga will always be mentioned in news and agendas related to that kind of thing in the future, lol
- Let’s implement it nationwide
- It is dangerous and unmanaged all over the country, so a ban is necessary
- Please, let’s start in Seoul and throw them all away later on
- Suga’s influence is really amazing LOL
- That vehicle is basically a murder weapon for real
- Ah, so one good thing comes out from Suga’s incident