Two management company executives in South Korea have been awarded penalty for rigging votes in favor of their trainees on Produce 101. (Produce 101 is a K-pop talent competition franchise created by CJ E&M, a South Korean entertainment conglomerate.)
The Seoul Central District Court charged Kim Kwang-soo, the founder of MBK Entertainment, a fine of 10 million KRW ($9,090) for business obstruction. Park Gyu-hyun, who is the CEO of Pocketdol Studio (a subsidiary of MBK) and former director of MBK, was also given an equal charge and fine.
MBK Entertainment is a South Korean entertainment agency established in 2007. It was formerly called Core Contents Media, a subsidiary label of CJ E&M Music.
Kim and Park were indicted for manipulating votes in the first season of Produce 101 by purchasing around 10,000 accounts and ordering their staff to vote for contenders under borrowed names to ensure that their company’s trainees scored high on the talent program. 89,228 false votes were produced by MBK employees and its staff members – although its result failed to affect the overall show’s voting results.
The ruling concluded, “Instead of ensuring a transparent and fair culture, Kim and others participated in increasing distrust by implementing a negative means as unfair voting. Yet the votes were limited to changing the rankings of the contestants by a certain amount and did not affect the overall outcome. We took into account that the two men had not been legally punished for any criminal acts within the past five years.”
From 2016 to 2019, the infamous “Produce” series managed to produce popular K-pop groups like I.O.I, Wanna One, IZ*ONE and X1.
In early 2020, Boy band X1 disbanded, due to charges of rigged votes and bribery filed against Mnet’s producers Kim Yong-beom and Ahn Jun-young. (Mnet is a South Korean TV music channel owned by CJ E&M.) Kim was given a year and eight months of jail time and Ahn two years in November of 2020. Ahn ended up admitting manipulating the voting results on all four seasons of the Produce 101.
In December of 2019, Ahn, Kim, and six other entertainment agency representatives were charged for obstruction of business, fraud, and bribery. Last year, it was ruled by the court that all four seasons of Produce 101 were vote-rigged.
–J.Chung.
User Review
( votes)Related Articles
Global Rising Girl Group A2O MAY Shines with U.S. Showcase and Universal Studios CityWalk Performances
(Courtesy of: A2O Entertainment) Buy/Stream “PAPARAZZI ARRIVE” : Watch “PAPARAZZI ARRIVE” : The next-gen global girl group, A2O MAY, continues to make history standing out with an eventful weekend with many firsts for a... Read More
League of Legends: Wild Rift Celebrates 5-Year Anniversary with Special Musical Collaboration with aespa’s NINGNING
What You Need to Know: Wild Rift marks five years since its global launch with in-game events, new content, and a music collaboration celebrating the evolution of both the game and its players. “Miss This Life,“ performed by... Read More
A2O MAY DEFINES “ZALPHA POP” WITH NEW DEBUT EP “PAPARAZZI ARRIVE”
(Credit: A2O Entertainment) The next-gen global girl group, A2O MAY, makes a bold return with their first EP, “PAPARAZZI ARRIVE” releasing today on all digital streaming platforms. The 14-track release not only introduces A2O... Read More
🏆 Announcing The Winners of The 2024 KCrush America Music Awards!
The votes are in, the decisions have been made, and the time has come! Welcome to the official announcement of the winners for the 2024 KCrush America Music Awards! 2024 brought us another great K-Pop year, with artists pushing creative... Read More
MEOVV MAKE A FIERY RETURN WITH THEIR SWELTERING NEW DANCE TRACK “BURNING UP”
LISTEN HERE | WATCH HERE Courtesy of THEBLACKLABEL After expanding their musical universe with their debut EP album, MY EYES OPEN VVIDE, multinational girl group MEOVV return with the fiery banger “BURNING UP,” out now via THEBLACKLABEL... Read More
Global Pop Sweethearts BINI Return With New Single “First Luv” After Making History On Coachella Lineup
(Photo Credit: ABS-CBN Music) Listen to “First Luv” HERE Watch “First Luv” MV HERE Chart-topping girl group, BINI, releases their radiant new single, “First Luv,” now available on all streaming platforms via... Read More
BGYO Expands Global Footprint With New EP ‘Headlines’
(Credit: ABS-CBN Music) Rising star Filipino boy group, BGYO, has once again captivated fans with their new EP, ‘Headlines’, now available on all streaming platforms. With over 100 million combined audio/video streams, and previous #1... Read More
From Heartbreak to Anthem: WOODZ Returns with I’ll Never Love Again “I’ll Never Love Again” and “Smashing Concrete” comprise the hotly-anticipated soloist’s 2-track digital single
Credit: EDAM Entertainment LISTEN HERE | WATCH THE MV HERE Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and global rockstar WOODZ unveils his latest artistic chapter with the release of his 2-track digital single I’ll Never Love Again, out now on all... Read More
Girl Group cosmosy Launches First EP, Ushering in a Bold New Era [the a(e)nd]
Credit: Sony Music Entertainment Korea Listen to HERE Watch HIGH=LOVE music video HERE Ethereal up-and-coming girl group, cosmosy, returns with their first-ever EP, , — a six-track collection that includes two brand-new songs,... Read More
Leave a Reply