In Mnet's "Produce 101" show, the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) has taken its judgment on the penalty for vote-rigging.
In August, the Korea Communications Standards Commission reported that sanctions would be levied on all four seasons of the "Produce 101" program for "unprecedented degree of abuse." The said sanction is the highest approval standard available for the KCSC.
After the final season of "Produce X 101" in July 2019, the program faced criticism for the alleged manipulation of the audiences' compensated votes that established the final group roster. An official investigation for each of the series' four seasons revealed signs of vote fraud.
In August, the KCSC released a statement saying, "They not only manipulated the results, misled the spectators and obstructed equal public perception, but the most important aspect is the deception of the participants' diligent work in the audition program." (via Soompi)
The fine sum that needed to be settled upon was revealed at the time. Furthermore, at a conference on September 14, the KCSC settled on a penalty of 30 million won (around $25,400) in each of the series's seasons ("Produce 101," "Produce 101 Season 2," "Produce 48," and "Produce X 101"), which would be the highest fines they could levy under current legislation. That means a cumulative fine of 120 million won (around $101,500) for the entire series.
Moreover, the Korean Communication Standards Commission further revealed that the network has failed to obtain the verification system ready, despite its four years of operation. It eventually led to years of vote manipulation of the program's audience results.
Meanwhile, production director Ahn Joon Young, Chief producer Kim Yong Bum, and other six members of entertainment agencies were convicted in May for charges relating to the manipulation case of the "Produce 101" poll.
Correspondingly, Ahn Joon Young and Kim Yong Bum have pleaded the convictions, and by the prosecution, the second trial is underway.
