KBS Music Bank, Im Young-woong Broadcast Score Manipulation 'No Charges'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] KBS music program 'Music Bank' has been cleared of allegations of score manipulation involving singer Lim Young-woong.

According to Yeongdeungpo Police Station on the 10th, the police received a complaint last May suggesting that there was score manipulation behind Lim Young-woong not achieving first place on 'Music Bank.' The production team was investigated on charges of obstruction of business, but on this day, they were cleared of all charges.

The complainant raised the possibility of manipulation because Lim Young-woong, who was a candidate for first place along with the group Le Sserafim, received zero points in the broadcast frequency category, one of the component scores, causing him to fall behind in the total score.

'Music Bank' rankings are determined by the total score, which is a sum of digital music (60%), broadcast frequency (20%), viewer preference (10%), album sales (5%), and social media (5%).

In response to the controversy, KBS explained, "We have never manipulated broadcast scores. During the ranking calculation period from the 2nd to the 8th, Lim Young-woong's 'Dasi Mannal Su Isseulkka' was not broadcast on KBS TV, radio, or digital content."

However, it was revealed that the song was selected on KBS Happy FM's 'Lim Baek-cheon's Back Music' and KBS Cool FM's 'Exciting Night with Lee Yoon-jung' on May 4th, as well as KBS Happy FM's 'With Kim Hye-young' on May 7th, leading to criticism that the explanation was insufficient.

In response, KBS reiterated, "Among the broadcast scores for 'Music Bank,' the radio category is compiled based on seven programs on KBS Cool FM. Programs other than these seven are not included in the calculation."

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