Ahn Joon-young, the former producer of Mnet's 'Produce 101' series, who was sentenced to prison for vote manipulation, has rejoined the company.

According to a YTN Star report on the 3rd, Ahn Joon-young has returned to Mnet's music business department. This comes approximately a year and five months after his release from prison in November 2021, following his conviction for manipulating the audition program 'Produce' series.

Ahn faced allegations of manipulating the results of the paid viewer voting system in all four series of Mnet's 'Produce' and receiving millions of won worth of entertainment services from five entertainment agency officials between 2018 and 2019.

The court sentenced Ahn to two years in prison and a fine of approximately 37 million KRW. He appealed the verdict but was found guilty in both the first and second trials, ultimately resulting in the confirmation of the original sentence by the Supreme Court. Ahn completed his two-year prison term and was released in November 2021.

The 'Produce' series was a hit each season, spawning several large idol groups. However, the program's reputation was tarnished after it was revealed that some contestants were harmed and viewers were deceived due to the manipulation.

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