Vote Manipulation: 'Produce' Production Team Guilty in 1st and 2nd Trials... What Will the Supreme Court Decide?

PD An Mo, affiliated with CJ ENM, who has been indicted on charges including obstruction of business and fraud.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] The vote manipulation scandal in the idol training program 'Produce' series is set to receive a final judgment from the Supreme Court.

On the 11th, the Supreme Court's 3rd Division (Presiding Justice Kim Jae-hyung) will hold a sentencing hearing for the appeal trial of PD Ahn, affiliated with CJ ENM, who was indicted on charges including obstruction of business and fraud.

Ahn and other producers of Produce were brought to trial on charges of manipulating vote counts to ensure trainees from a specific agency were selected for the final debut group. In particular, Ahn is accused of manipulating paid text vote results from viewers to favor certain candidates during the live competitions of seasons 1 to 4, which began in 2016. He is also charged with receiving entertainment expenses worth millions of won from entertainment agency officials at nightlife establishments.

Previously, the first trial sentenced Ahn to two years in prison and ordered a fine of approximately 36.99 million won. CP Kim was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison. The second trial upheld the first trial's decision, stating, "The trainees who were eliminated due to rank manipulation have had to live with lifelong trauma, and viewers who took pride as national producers felt extreme betrayal."

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