SOUTH KOREA – Two Mnet / CJ ENM producers (Ahn Joon Young and Kim Yong Bum) were arrested on November 5, with regards to the allegations of vote-rigging on the Produce 101 series that might have changed the final line-ups of the Produce-born groups IZ*ONE and X1, SBS News reported on Wednesday.
The charges were largely called and the case was serious, according to court officials.
However, one other crew and an entertainment agency official was dismissed the need for arrest because of the degree of involvement and the crime committed.
The charges of the chief PD Kim Yong Bum, who actually oversaw the program, were multiple counts of fraud.
Ahn Joon Young, one of the arrested Mnet crews, reportedly admitted to some allegations as he produced Produce 48 last year and Produce X 101 broadcasts this year, while denying further accusations regarding the manipulation of the show’s first two seasons.
Ahn PD might have received from more than 40 entertainment companies in the Gangnam Area since second half of last year, with what they referred to as ‘hospitality amount’ over 100 million won, in order to debut certain trainees from a certain agency.
The police also seized an additional agency involved in Produce X 101 yesterday, with suspicions of a trainee ranking of them being manipulated. They are also investigating the ranking of other Mnet audition programs, which could open further investigations. -HallyuLife.com
