The club pub known as Prince Brewing, a brand under the Chinese-Cambodian corporations Prince Holdings that has been pointed to as backing Cambodian criminal organizations, was confirmed to have closed. The location, known to have been visited by former Big Bang member Seungri in the past, has become the center of controversy. Meanwhile, Seungri was still spotted recently at a Cambodian club, shocking many.
In October last year, according to CBS No Cut News, Prince Brewing recently ended operations and is said to be preparing to reopen under a new owner. The club drew attention when Seungri attended and spoke and performed at a local event in Cambodia in January last year.
At the event, Seungri said from the stage, "When I said I was going to Cambodia, my friends warned me it was dangerous," mixing in profanity, and referred to Cambodia as "the greatest country in Asia." He added, "I will bring G-Dragon here someday," which caused a stir. He also danced to Taeyang and G-Dragon's song 'Good Boy,' and the crowd responded by shouting "G-Dragon."
Once the footage became known, public opinion in Korea cooled immediately. The fact that the event was held at Prince Brewing was reexamined, and various suspicions surrounding Prince Holdings have been raised. The Prince group is suspected of being linked to the 'Crown Prince complex,' believed to be behind organized human trafficking and illegal confinement crimes in Cambodia, and the group's head, Chairman Chen Z, is subject to sanctions by the United States and the United Kingdom over related allegations.
However, there is no official confirmation of a direct business connection between Seungri and Prince Brewing or Prince Holdings. While Prince Brewing is known as a brand under Prince Holdings, locally many such establishments operate simply as breweries and pubs.
In January this year, a video titled "Hwang Hana, Seungri, Park Yuchun: reporter Oh Hyuk-jin's special investigative file revealed" was posted on the YouTube channel 'JiritJirit,' raising another suspicion.
In the video, reporter Oh Hyuk-jin claimed, "Reports keep coming in that Seungri parties and socializes with executives of Cambodian criminal compounds," and said, "There are stories of exchanges with people involved in money laundering, voice phishing and casino-related figures." He added, "There is also suspicion that they tried to create a Cambodian version of 'the second Burning Sun.'"
Oh also said, "In Southeast Asia, the image of being 'from Big Bang' is still effective," and added, "There are indications they tried to prepare illegal businesses by using that recognition, and I understand he has been traveling back and forth to Thailand recently." However, these are claims based on tips and reporting, not facts confirmed judicially.
Seungri was identified as a key figure in the 2018 Burning Sun scandal and caused public outrage. He was later sentenced to one year and six months in prison on charges including arranging prostitution, violating the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, embezzlement in the course of duty and overseas gambling amounting to billions of won, and was released in February 2023.
Amid the local closure of the Cambodian club and successive allegations, controversy over Seungri's overseas movements remains ongoing.
[Photo] 'SNS'
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