The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 3.12 K-Pop VIP "Services" & Corruption Scandal, 737 Max 8 Ban, Flat Earth Idiocy, & Venezuela

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup you beautiful bastards, hope you're having a fantastic Tuesday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show and let's just jump into it. And the first thing we're gonna talk about today is actually one of the most requested stories from our international audience. And it's the story around a controversy and scandal in the K-pop world. So if you didn't know, the K-pop world has been rocked for weeks by a scandal surrounding Lee Seung Hyun, better known as Seungri, from the group Big Bang. And to bring everyone up to speed and give some context for anyone who doesn't know who Big Bang is, Big Bang was one of the biggest K-pop groups ever. They are currently on hiatus while members of the group finish up their mandatory military service. Currently four members of the group are enlisted and will be discharged at varying times later this year.

Starting point is 00:00:34 And the fifth member, Seungri, is the youngest and actually hasn't enlisted yet, but is planning to on March 25th. But that's not where the controversy is. The controversy is that he is in the middle of a major investigation involving the Burning Sun nightclub. Which is a business that his investment company helped start and fund. He was also the public relations manager for a bit, but no longer has any title with the club. That club is of note because back in late January, video surfaced that showed staff at the club helping a VIP assault someone who was at the club. Eventually that led to ex-employees coming out and saying that the club was actually used to sell drugs. There were also conversations published between Burning Sun staff that showed

Starting point is 00:01:05 that they allowed VIP guests to prey on inebriated women. This led to the club being shut down and police investigating into the club's activities. And the entire time, Seungri denied any involvement, especially in the drug business that his club was accused of facilitating. Even when as far as to take and pass a hair follicle drug test proved

Starting point is 00:01:20 that he wasn't involved with drugs. But then on February 25th, an article released alleged text messages from 2015 that linked Seungri and other higher ups from Burning Sun to a sex for business ring. And these texts appeared to show that Seungri asked the others to contact women to sleep with clients. He allegedly wrote things like,

Starting point is 00:01:34 "'Good, how about girls?' "'Pick the ones that'll sleep with them without complaining,' with his associates allegedly replying, "'I'm calling them, but I'm wondering if they'll give in.' "'They probably won't sleep with them if it's not you.' "'I'm calling the cheap ones.' "'Wow, these people that the girls have to take care of. "'There that are more pigs than I am I called redacted female name here the VIPs are Taiwanese gangsters so Marie denied the text claiming that they were fake his label YG

Starting point is 00:01:55 Entertainment has also denied the allegations and said in a statement We asked so Marie about the matter and once confirmed that the article is based on fabricated text messages and is false and later adding Should it be found that the allegations are nothing but false rumors, we will prepare all legal responses towards the complaints, as well as the official police inquiries. However, Seoul Metropolitan Police said that they are taking these allegations seriously, saying, And in connection to this, they reportedly questioned Seungri over the allegations, and then we didn't really hear much.

Starting point is 00:02:23 But then came major updates Sunday and Monday. In quick succession, police announced that Seungri was being considered as a suspect in operating a prostitution ring, and then he was reported to have been booked on pimping charges. Now a note here is that he has not been arrested yet, but he has been formally charged.

Starting point is 00:02:36 He'll also likely be questioned again before any possible arrest happens. And while all of this was happening, Seungri then announced that he would be retiring from entertainment on his Instagram, writing, "'As this social scandal is too big, I decided on my retirement. As for the ongoing probe, I will take the investigation seriously to clear all the allegations. I give my heartfelt, sincere thanks to fans at home and abroad who gave their love for the past 10 years,

Starting point is 00:02:56 and I think this should be it for the sake of the reputation of YG Entertainment and Big Bang." And while at the center of this story you have a K-Pop star and their image and the allegations against them, this has also reportedly had major impacts on parts of the Korean economy. For example, we've seen multiple entertainment groups here have their stocks just take a beating. On Monday, YG, which is Big Bang's label, tumbled 14%, while others like SM, who represents XO, lost 11%, and JYP Entertainment, who represents TWICE, they lost 4.5%. Although since then we've seen upticks and fluctuations. This story has also shown possible corruption issues with Korean police. I mean, at the beginning, we talked about Seoul Metropolitan Police

Starting point is 00:03:29 investigating, which is true, but originally, this was being handled by the Gangnam Station of the Seoul Police, and there are rumors that they've known about this issue for a while and have ignored it because of the VIPs involved. So, the investigation was taken over by other branches within the Seoul Metropolitan Police as well as the National Police Agency. In fact, the Prime Minister even had this to say

Starting point is 00:03:45 about the possibility that local police were complicit in allowing this to happen. An assault case in a club in Gangnam-gu is now uncovering allegations of drug distribution, sexual assault, corruption between the police and its owners. I wish that the police take this as an insult to its own honor and that they go through

Starting point is 00:04:00 a thorough investigation to the full extent of the law. I hope that the investigators will keep in mind what will happen if the suspicions of illegal activities do not fully get resolved as they carry on the investigations." And corruption is something the current administration under President Moon Jae-in takes extremely seriously. I mean, one of the central platforms

Starting point is 00:04:14 was cracking down on corruption, following a corrupt presidency that ended with former President Park in prison. And since then, Moon's government has taken strict anti-corruption measures against other people too, including another former president, a former head of National Intelligence Service, and a former head of the Supreme Court. And I mention that to point out the scale and escalation of this situation.

Starting point is 00:04:32 What started out as a beatdown being caught on camera has now turned into an investigation involving a prostitution ring, tax evasion, and possible massive corruption with the Seoul police. It's a wild ride of a story, and it's not even the only K-pop scandal and controversy right now, but, let's take a time, this is the only one we're talking about today. And then we had YouTube and conspiracy theories back in the news, this time not because of anti-vaxxers or a new Shane Dawson series, but instead, Logan Paul and flat earthers.

Starting point is 00:04:56 So a while ago, there was news out there that Logan Paul went to a flat earther convention, and he said, My name is Logan Paul, and I think I'm coming out of the flat earth closet. And so there was a lot of talk of, okay, is this real I think I'm coming out of the flat earth closet So there was a lot of talk of okay is this real is he actually coming out as a flat earther Is he trolling people? The man finally snapped from being rejected by so many people who had loved him before

Starting point is 00:05:14 Based off of some of the reports that came out at the time when he was questioned about it It seemed that he was kind of almost laughing and so it was probably a troll But then more recently it came out that he was doing a documentary on flat earthers And he released a trailer two days ago and in addition to the conversation coming back up of okay Is he trolling or is this real there was a conversation of well? How will YouTube react because of course recently YouTube has talked about cracking down on conspiracy theory making it so those videos don't get recommended as much They put information cards underneath those videos so people can look at resources So there was the question of when Logan Paul's documentary about this comes out will he be impacted on that note according to the verge

Starting point is 00:05:48 YouTube declined to comment on whether Paul's video would be impacted by those recommendation changes But reportedly said that that video wouldn't run an information panel to outright dispel the flat-earth conspiracy theory But adding that the company is hoping to roll out more information panels for more topics in the future Which would include flat-earth videos regardless of opinion also could not confirm if it would appear on Paul's video as far as my take on this based off of what we've seen Over the past few weeks and several months. I can't speak to what would happen on the recommendation system But I am almost 100% sure that YouTube would put an information card underneath the video once they have the reason I say that is There are large youtubers who cover certain topics that get the information card for example You have some big creators like Dr. Mike here on YouTube.

Starting point is 00:06:25 We talked about him last week when we were talking about that HIV story. He took on a video where he was talking about pro-vaccine versus anti-vaccine, and underneath that video you had vaccine controversies. Even on our channel in the past when we talked about climate change and countries trying to figure out energy solutions,

Starting point is 00:06:38 we got one of those cards. And with videos getting those cards, I don't think there's anything necessarily bad about that. I think more resources in front of people, that's great. But it is important to understand this is all being said without actually seeing what Logan Paul's documentary looks like, whether it's like, look at these crazies, or he is actually a flat earther.

Starting point is 00:06:54 And on that note, I will say I really hope this doesn't try to validate flat earthers. It is a ridiculous crackpot theory, like many other things, it should not be treated as a, well, both sides are saying this, if you get some time, there's a really fantastic documentary on Netflix called Behind the Curve. It follows several flat earthers, including some conducting experiments trying to prove

Starting point is 00:07:11 that the earth is flat and then those experiments failing and then them trying to come up with theories as to why those things failed that then confirm what they want. Also one of the most troubling aspects of that documentary is this point where there's a flat earth convention and there's a kid there and that kid was brought by their parents and you just see this idiocy being passed on a generation but i

Starting point is 00:07:28 mean even all these questions that's that's probably something that logan paul is counting on for the for the thing to pop i don't know like with any story of course i'd love to know your thoughts if you can tell i i am exhausted and overwhelmed by the stupidity that we see on a day-to-day basis and whether it be this or or anti-vaxxers or so many other things, I don't know if there's any real change anymore that can be brought about by showing people the facts and reality when people deny the facts and reality for whatever they want to believe.

Starting point is 00:07:56 I don't know. And then let's talk about updates around the 737 MAX 8 situation. If you didn't see, yesterday we talked about the devastating Ethiopian Airlines crash involving a 737 MAX 8 plane, the same type that was involved in the Lion Air crash late last year. And yesterday, yesterday we talked about the devastating Ethiopian Airlines crash involving a 737 MAX 8 plane, the same type that was involved in the Lion Air crash late last year. And yesterday, as we mentioned, some countries and airlines were grounding their 737 MAX 8s as a precaution until the cause of the crash is known.

Starting point is 00:08:14 And today we're seeing more countries join Indonesia and China in grounding planes, this including the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Oman. Also, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has decided to ban the plane from their airspace. And while the United States has not joined other countries in grounding their MAX 8s, this morning we saw President Trump tweet, seeking to go one unnecessary step further when often old and simpler is far better. Split second decisions are needed and the complexity creates danger. All of this for great cost yet very little gain.

Starting point is 00:08:49 I don't know about you, but I don't want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane. Now you might remember yesterday we talked about the theory that a malfunction in the MAX 8 sensors for autopilot

Starting point is 00:09:01 could have contributed to the Lion Air crash. Well, after we were done with the show yesterday, Boeing issued a statement about the flight assistance saying, "'For the past several months and in the aftermath "'of Lion Air Flight 610, Boeing has been developing "'a flight control software enhancement for the 737 MAX "'designed to make an already safe aircraft even safer.'" The statement goes on to say that in the coming weeks,

Starting point is 00:09:18 they will release a software enhancement that was developed with the Federal Aviation Administration and then adds, "'Boeing's 737 MAX flight crew operations manual already outlines an existing procedure to safely handle the unlikely event of erroneous data coming from an angle of attack sensor. The pilot will always be able to override

Starting point is 00:09:34 the flight control law using electric trim or manual trim. Additionally, the FAA has issued a continued airworthiness notification to the international community for the MAX 8s while they are investigating the crash. But they did say, if we identify an issue that affects safety, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action But ultimately that is where we are at the situation now

Starting point is 00:09:51 It will be very interesting to see what comes from the investigation what other countries or airlines change up I mean for example while I mentioned that MAX 8s have not been grounded in the United States What we have seen are airlines like Southwest Airlines allowing customers to change their booking But that's a situation as it is now and of course, I'd love to know your thoughts on it And the last thing we're gonna talk about today are updates around Venezuela We've talked about Venezuela a lot in the past few months, but in case you've missed our coverage Here's kind of a quick oversimplified TLDR back in January Venezuela's National Assembly declared Juan Guaido interim president of Venezuela until fair elections could be held

Starting point is 00:10:22 Guaido was the head of the opposition, leader of the National Assembly, and he was declared interim president under the constitutional powers of the National Assembly. Right, it's one of the last democratic political institutions left in the country. Since then, Guaido has been recognized as the president of Venezuela by more than 50 world leaders, including the United States, many European nations, most of South America. Although there are countries like Russia and Cuba who support Nicolas Maduro and have continually criticized the United States for attempting what they call a coup in Venezuela. And the last time we talked about Venezuela

Starting point is 00:10:48 was after a weekend of protests at the border that Venezuela shares with Colombia and Brazil. And that was because reportedly Maduro had directed the military to prevent millions and millions of dollars in humanitarian aid from entering Venezuela's borders. And this lines up with reports that Maduro has continually refused humanitarian aid for the last few years of Venezuela's crisis.

Starting point is 00:11:03 Guaido has repeatedly criticized this, he's called on international leaders who support him to send aid anyway, and despite Maduro's resistance, the United States, Canada, a bunch of European countries, and many others have still sent aid to Colombia and Brazil so that it could be shipped into Venezuela. And following Maduro's deployment of the military, we saw tensions escalate and escalate. On the Brazilian side, Venezuelan military forces opened fire and protesters clashed with pro-government militias. On the Colombian side, Venezuelan military forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who threw rocks at them. And later, it was also reported that pro-government militias opened fire on protesters as well. And while the military was generally effective at keeping the aid trucks out, it was reported that one truck on the Colombian border made it into Venezuela. But, that truck was allegedly stopped by security forces and set on fire.

Starting point is 00:11:44 And so that report sparked huge outrage among Guaido's allies, especially in America. At a meeting with the Lima Group in Colombia, Vice President Mike Pence announced new sanctions against the Maduro government, stating, "- As the world watched, the tyrant in Caracas danced as his henchmen burned truckloads of food and medicine and murdered civilians."

Starting point is 00:12:11 Senator Marco Rubio has been very vocal about Venezuela also tweeted, each of the trucks burned by Maduro carried 20 tons of food and medicine. This is a crime and if international law means anything he must pay a high price for this. But then on Sunday, the New York Times published an article containing previously unpublished footage that Contradicted the claim that security forces set the truck on fire according to the article the video indicates that the opposition itself not mr Maduro's men appears to have set the cargo alight Accidentally and it goes on to say that a reconstruction of the footage suggests that a Molotov cocktail thrown by an anti-government Protester was the most likely trigger for the blaze the New York Times reported that in the video

Starting point is 00:12:44 We can see the Molotov cocktail being thrown at police the reported that in the video we can see the Molotov cocktail Being thrown at police the video showing that the rag used to light the Molotov cocktail Separates from the bottle and flies towards the aid truck and then we see the truck on fire 30 seconds later the article also stating That the same protester was in a different video just 20 minutes earlier hitting another truck with a Molotov cocktail So if the footage shows that it was a protester who lit the truck on fire Why did so many people think that it was security forces? Well, according to the New York Times, it's because the Colombian government sent footage from the bridge to American officials, but that footage was edited to show security forces throwing tear gas canisters, which explode on impact,

Starting point is 00:13:15 toward the truck immediately followed by footage of the truck on fire, which would imply that the Venezuelan officials were responsible, but the video from the Colombian government edited out the 13 minute period before the fire began. And Colombian officials didn't release the full footage until they had received multiple requests from the New York Times. But that is also not where this craziness around Venezuela ends. On Saturday we saw yet another wave of protests in Caracas,

Starting point is 00:13:35 but these protests were also different from the ones in the past. This time opposition protesters came out to demonstrate against a nationwide blackout that has left almost all of the country in the dark since last Thursday. This reportedly after there was an unspecified problem in Venezuela's primary hydroelectric power plant

Starting point is 00:13:49 causing the plant to shut down. And this is a big deal because this plant, which is based in the center of the country, supplies power to four out of every five Venezuelans. And so unsurprisingly, the power outages have made the humanitarian problems in Venezuela even worse. Water pumps have been affected in parts of Caracas, leaving people to fill water bottles at sewage pipes.

Starting point is 00:14:05 We're also seeing long lines of citizens and cars while they're waiting for gas, the few gas stations that are still open. Transportation networks like subways have been shut down. Much of Venezuela's telecommunication networks have been entirely knocked out. And hospitals and medical facilities, which are already facing medicine shortages,

Starting point is 00:14:19 are struggling to keep patients alive. On Sunday, Guaido stated that 17 people had died due to the blackouts, referring to those deaths as murders. And yesterday we saw the Guardian report that at least 21 people, six of whom were babies, have died as a result of the blackouts. Although as of right now, it's still unclear how many people have died and how many people

Starting point is 00:14:35 are actually affected by these blackouts. In this all while there are contradictory reports of how much power has been restored to different parts of the country. It's also still disputed what exactly caused the outage at the hydroelectric plant. On Saturday, Maduro claimed that the blackout was caused by cyber attacks launched by the opposition

Starting point is 00:14:48 with the support and assistance of the United States. And in a speech on Monday, Maduro stated, quote, "'The United States' imperialist government "'ordered this attack.'" Maduro's communications minister also claimed that the blackout was caused by right-wing extremists under the direction of Marco Rubio. But a massive note here is that Maduro and his ministers

Starting point is 00:15:02 have not provided any evidence for these claims. We also had Guaido dispute these claims, arguing that the blackouts were caused by years of underinvestment in energy infrastructure, and this claim has broadly been supported by energy experts and Venezuelan power sector contractors who have said in addition to underinvestment, blackouts are also a result of corruption and brain drain from the energy sector. Venezuela's electrical system used to be one of the best in Latin America, but now it's in poor shape after years of improper maintenance and mismanagement Venezuelan officials have been accused of stealing government money earmarked for the electrical system and now blackouts are fairly frequent in Venezuela But of note here a blackout of this scale and magnitude has not been seen for many years and some are even calling it the Worst blackout in the country's history also yesterday the US responded to the continuing blackouts and Maduro's

Starting point is 00:15:42 Accusations one of the most drastic moves we've seen since the start of the conflict. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced in a tweet that the US would be removing all diplomats from Venezuela and adding that the decision reflects the deteriorating situation in Venezuela, as well as the conclusion that the presence of US diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on US policy.

Starting point is 00:16:00 And that move is especially significant because that last line could indicate that the United States is considering using military force, an option that President Trump and his administration has repeatedly indicated is still on the table. Or at the very least, it just indicates the United States government feels the situation is out of control. But still, while all of this is happening, most of Venezuela has been without power for almost a week, and yesterday the opposition government has declared a state of emergency. Now hopefully power will be restored soon, medical aid will be let into the country, but for now, we kinda just have to wait and see.

Starting point is 00:16:26 And of course, like with everything we talk about on this show, I'd love to know your thoughts on this. And that's where we're going to end today's show, and of course, remember, if you liked today's video, let us know, hit that like button. Also, if you're new here, be sure to hit subscribe, ring that bell to turn on notifications. Which on that note, if you missed yesterday's

Starting point is 00:16:39 Philip DeFranco show, this morning's Extra Morning News deep dive, you wanna catch up on those, you can just click or tap right there to watch those. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco, you've just been filled in. I love yo faces and I'll see you tomorrow.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 3.12 K-Pop VIP "Services" & Corruption Scandal, 737 Max 8 Ban, Flat Earth Idiocy, & Venezuela

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