Chief Producer Of Mnet’s “Idol School” Sentenced To One Year In Prison

Previously, prosecution held a hearing for Kim Tae Eun, the chief producer of Mnet’s Idol School and business manager “Kim” on charges of obstruction of business and fraud.

During the court hearing at the Seoul Central District Court on June 10 at 2 PM KST, they sentenced the chief producer Kim to one year in prison. Former Mnet business manager “Kim”, who was also indicted, was judged as an aide and not an accomplice and was sentenced to a fine of 10 million KRW (~$8,963.95 USD).

In 2019, both defendants admitted to the manipulation of votes but did not feel their actions were considered a crime. They adjusted the votes due to low viewership ratings as low viewer participation could result in a skew in votes due to family and friend votes.

In 2017, Mnet aired Idol School after the popularity of Produce 101. Then in 2019, police began investigations for the manipulation of votes for the Produce 101 series and eventually expanded to Idol School.