Mnet's "Produce" Series now faces a high-level penalty that will be imposed by the Korea Communication Standards Commission due to manipulations of votes throughout its episodes.

On August 10, the Korea Communication Standards Commission(KCSC) held a general meeting regarding the TV show "Produce" and its series in Mokdong, Seoul. The KCSC has made its final decision in combination for all four seasons of "Produce," including "Produce 101", "Produce 101 Season 2", "Produce X 101", and "Produce 48."

Later on that same day, it was announced that the four seasons of "Produce" will receive a fine, which is the highest level of sanctions possible after manipulating the viewers' vote results. Also, the KCSC imposed fines due to unprecedented manipulation of the broadcast.

KCSC accused the Mnet "Produce" that it has been manipulating the votes of the individual episodes. The manipulation has also affected the elimination of contestants and broadcasting the result as if it is legitimate. Evidence is present for that the first season, the first and fourth rounds of "Produce," also had manipulation.

The TV show used viewer participation who made a group based on the viewer votes alone. To do this, they used the paid texts. But the most severe issues come when they not only manipulated but also deceived the viewers, sold out the hard work of the participants and obstructed the fairness and justice of the show.

According to KCSC, they will later decide the amount of the fines based on the Article 109 of the broadcasting act. They state that penalties will be based on explicit content, time duration, degree, and frequency.

Meanwhile, SBS' 2020 hit drama "The King: Eternal Monarch," which is also available on Netflix, and played by iconic actors Lee Min-Ho and Kim Go-Eun, also received a warning from Korea Communication Standards Commission for having excessive product placement on the show.

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