IDOL AUDITION PROGRAM INVESTIGATION

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Controversy is brewing over a speculation that viewers' votes on an idol audition show hosted by Mnet, a music cable channel, were fabricated. Police raided the office of the show's production team on Wednesday and launched a probe.

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This building houses the office of the production team of the audition show "Produce X 101" hosted by the music channel Mnet. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Cyber Bureau on Wednesday raided the team's office as well as the office of a company that stored data on the show's tally results. A police investigation into alleged fabrication of viewers' votes has begun in earnest. The show in question aired on July 19. A total of 101 contestants competed in the audition, and the final 11 were selected. The speculation was raised over the results of viewers' votes in the final show. The difference between the first and second places and between the third and fourth places was the same - 29,978 votes. The number pattern was repeated five times, drawing attention from the program's viewers.

[Soundbite] (VIEWER A(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "It looks like they are making fun of the aspiring singers, and that I voted in vain. It's outrageous."

[Soundbite] (VIEWER B(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "I couldn't believe it when I heard that the tally results had been fabricated. I hope truth will be revealed soon."

In just ten days, some six thousand people signed a petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website urging clarification on the allegation. Some of the fans even set up their own investigative team and vowed to file a complaint with the prosecutors' office.

[Soundbite] (CHIEF OF INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE OF "PRODUCE X 101" RESULT FABRICATION(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "Text votes cast during live shows play the biggest role. We plan to file a complaint with the Seoul Prosecutors' Office on charges of fraud and obstruction of business."

Mnet requested a police probe into the chief producer of the show on July 26, and issued a brief apology on social media. The music channel also pledged to cooperate with the investigators, and take measures against the production crew of the audition show in line with the results of the police probe.