The Mnet vote-rigging scandal exposed systemic electoral fraud in K-pop idol survival shows, leading to criminal indictments and disbandment of affected groups.
Key Facts
- Lawsuit filers
- 272 viewers filed suit against Mnet on August 1, 2019
- Cost per vote
- ₩100 per on-site text vote
- Producers arrested
- Ahn Joon-young and Kim Yong-bum arrested November 5, 2019
- Total indicted
- 8 individuals indicted on December 3, 2019
- Seasons manipulated
- All four seasons of the Produce 101 series
- Groups affected
- X1 disbanded; Iz*One placed on hiatus
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the July 2019 finale of Produce X 101, viewers noticed suspicious numerical patterns in the total vote tallies. Because Mnet charged ₩100 per text vote, 272 viewers filed a lawsuit on August 1, 2019, prompting the Seoul Metropolitan Police to open a formal investigation into potential vote manipulation.
Police investigation led to the November 5, 2019 arrest of producers Ahn Joon-young and Kim Yong-bum. Ahn admitted to manipulating audience vote rankings across all four seasons of the Produce 101 series. On December 3, 2019, both producers and six entertainment agency representatives were indicted on charges of obstruction of business, fraud, and bribery, with a court trial commencing December 20, 2019.
The scandal forced the disbandment of X1 and placed Iz*One on hiatus, disrupting the careers of dozens of idol group members. It also severely damaged public trust in Mnet's competition reality format and raised broader questions about the integrity of audience-voted idol selection programs in South Korea.