“PRODUCE X 101” VOTE RIGGING SCANDAL

[Anchor Lead]

A police investigation into irregularities surrounding a K-pop competition TV show is picking up speed. The key to the probe is uncovering whether financial transactions were made between the show's producers and talent agencies.

[Pkg]

In July, police launched an investigation into vote-fixing allegations involving the K-pop audition show "Produce X 101," where the final winners are selected through viewer voting. Police say so far they have carried out six raids, including at CJ ENM, a data storage firm and an entertainment agency office. The mobile phone belonging to a producer of the show is also known to have been confiscated. Some production staff members and officials of five talent agencies have already been booked on charges of obstruction of business. Police are known to have secured circumstantial evidence indicating the rankings of the final candidates were deliberately changed so that certain contestants who would not have made the cut could rise in the rankings. The key to the investigation is analyzing phone records to uncover whether there were financial transactions between the show's producers and the talent agencies. Investigators are also looking into the producers' bank accounts to check if any bribes were received. During the three-month long probe, another audition program, "Idol School", on Mnet has also been closely examined over similar rigging allegations. Though the production staff of the two shows are different, suspicions of vote fixing are similar as contestants who looked likely to advance in the competition were eventually eliminated. Suspected human rights violations have also emerged as the contestants were apparently not free to roam and not allowed to use their mobile phones. Police said their taking some time to analyze the seized records due to the sheer amount of them, but promised to conclude the investigation before long.