[Official Statement] 'Produce X' Manipulation Controversy X1 Ultimately Disbands After 6 Months (Comprehensive)

Failure of unanimous agreement among agencies of X1 members
Mnet "Supported resumption of activities but respects agencies' positions"

Group X1 / Photo by Swing Entertainment

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Suwan] The production team of Mnet's 'Produce' series has been indicted and detained on charges of manipulating rankings, and the group X1 is ultimately disbanding.

X1 is a project group formed through 'Produce X 101' (Prodo X), which ended last July.

On the 6th, Play M Entertainment, Yuehua Entertainment, TOP Media, W Entertainment, MBK Entertainment, Woollim Entertainment, DSP Media, Starship Entertainment, and Brand New Music, the agencies to which X1 members belong, stated, "We discussed based on the principle of unanimous agreement among the members' agencies, but after meetings, no agreement was reached, so we have decided to disband."

Following this, Mnet also released a statement saying, "We made efforts to resume X1's activities, but we respect the decision of the agencies to disband X1," acknowledging the disbandment.

Earlier, viewers discovered issues with the vote counts of the 11 debut members of X1 announced during the live broadcast of 'Prodo X,' sparking controversy over vote manipulation.

According to the prosecution, PD Ahn and others are accused of manipulating the results of paid text message votes from viewers during the live broadcast competitions of "Produce 101" seasons 1 to 4 to benefit specific candidates.
Photo by Yonhap News

Subsequently, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office indicted and detained PD Ahn Jun-young and CP (Chief Producer) Kim Yong-beom of Mnet last month on charges including obstruction of business and fraud.

According to the prosecution, PD Ahn and others are accused of manipulating the paid text vote results of viewers during the live competition broadcasts of 'Produce 101' seasons 1 to 4 to benefit specific candidates.

In particular, PD Ahn is also charged with accepting entertainment expenses worth tens of millions of won multiple times from entertainment agencies since last year (embezzlement and bribery).

During police investigations, PD Ahn admitted to manipulating rankings in the 'Produce 101' series, specifically in season 4 'Prodo X' and season 3 'Produce 48.'

Meanwhile, on the 30th of last month, CJ ENM issued a public apology. CJ ENM CEO Heo Min-hoe said regarding the 'Produce' series manipulation incident, "There is no excuse; it is our fault. As CEO, I deeply feel responsible," and added, "We will take full responsibility and provide monetary compensation to the trainees who were harmed by the ranking manipulation in Mnet audition programs such as 'Produce.'

He also expressed the intention to support the project groups IZ*ONE and X1, which were formed through the 'Produce' series, so that they can continue their activities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.