The manufactured stardom of a K-pop group built on rigged votes
In short: In 2018, millions watched as 96 contestants competed to form the next big idol group. But the final lineup wasn't decided by the fans' votes. Behind the scenes, a massive scandal revealed that the winners had been chosen long before the cameras even rolled.
Produce 48 was a high-stakes collaboration between South Korea's Mnet and Japan's AKB48. The project aimed to create a 12-member Korean-Japanese group, known as IZ*ONE, through a massive survival competition. The pool of 96 contestants included 57 South Korean trainees and 39 from Japanese groups like AKB48 and HKT48. Fans believed their online and live votes would determine the group's destiny, with the winners promised a two-and-a-half-year promotion period.
However, the illusion of democratic competition shattered during a 2019 investigation. Authorities discovered that the show's director, Ahn Joon-young, and executive producer Kim Young-bum had pre-determined the lineups for several seasons, including Produce 48. To maintain the facade, they manipulated vote counts to favor specific contestants in exchange for financial favors. The investigation even uncovered that Ahn had used services at adult entertainment establishments in Gangnam, funded by talent agencies, approximately 40 times starting in the latter half of 2018.
The fallout was significant. In 2021, Ahn and Kim were sentenced to prison for fraud and bribery. The scandal also revealed that the rankings for the top 20 trainees had been decided before the final performances were even broadcast. While the group IZ*ONE eventually disbanded in April 2021 following their contract expiration, the legacy of the show remains a cautionary tale about the fragility of reality television's 'fair play' and the hidden mechanics of the idol industry.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Produce 48
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