Police reportedly start investigating Mnet's 'Idol School' for vote-rigging

Police are reportedly investigating Mnet's 'Idol School' for vote-rigging.

Though 'Idol School' came to an end in 2017, the recent allegations of vote-rigging on 'Produce x 101' have reignited suspicions into the series. On September 6, reports stated police have officially started investigating 'Idol School' for alleged vote-rigging. Officers called in witnesses related to 'Idol School' and fans of the show for questioning.

A fan community of 'Idol School' has also filed a criminal complaint against Mnet for allegedly conspiring in fraud and destroying evidence. One lawyer representing the fan community stated, "For one certain trainee, the number of real-time paid text votes (around 5000 votes) were sent in during the final episode of the show, which was verified through an event viewers willingly participated in to prove they voted. There was a great gap from the number of real-time paid text votes that were revealed during the episode (around 2600 votes). If viewers knew in advance there would be manipulation in the voting process, they would never have participated."

The lawyer further stated that if the 'Idol School' production team did indeed delete raw data, this would constitute destruction of evidence under the law. He concluded, "I wonder if this may not just be the simple mistakes of a few people, but rather the spread of negligence of media ethics in its organizational culture. We hope all suspicions are resolved through a detailed investigation."

In related news, police have extended their investigation to previous seasons of 'Produce 101'.