Fans previously raised speculation about the potential manipulation of text votes sent to Mnet’s “Produce X 101,” and they are now gearing up to take legal action.

On July 24, lawyer Goo Hye Min of MAST Law & Consulting revealed that she will be the legal representative for a fan committee that was formed to uncover the truth behind the “Produce X 101” voting. The committee has been raising funds to prepare for the lawsuit.

The lawyer stated to Money Today TheL, “Sometime next week, we will file a complaint to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office against the ‘Produce X 101’ staff on charges such as fraud and interference with business. Several charges are being mentioned currently, and we are reviewing a wide range of potential issues we can bring up, rather than focusing on just a few charges.”

Lawyer Lee Ji Yoon of the Korea Communications Commission additionally explained, “If it is revealed that there was corrupt solicitation between entertainment agencies and [‘Produce X 101’] production staff that led to the manipulation of votes, the law on occupational breach of trust can be applied as well.”

According to Money Today TheL, the manipulation of votes could also be a violation of some of the clauses in the Broadcasting Act. Article 5 (Public Responsibility of Broadcasting) and Article 6 (Impartiality and Public Interest of Broadcasting) state that a broadcast must abide by the fundamental democratic order and be impartial.

Furthermore, some fans claim that because viewers were charged 100 won (approximately $0.08) for each text vote, the manipulation of these votes could be considered fraud. However, the Korean law on fraud states that there must be evidence of the perpetrator’s intention to deceive the victims, and it may be difficult to prove this point.

Regarding the recent turn of events, a source from Mnet stated to news outlet Sports Today, “[We] are aware that some fans of ‘Produce X 101’ will be filing a complaint to the prosecution. We do not have an official statement.”

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