A fine of 120 million KRW (~101,536 USD) was imposed on the Mnet audition 'Produce' series. The 'Produce' series was given this fine as the producers had pre-selected the winning candidates and manipulated the results of the viewer text voting.

The Korea Communications Standards Commission held a general meeting at the broadcasting center in Mok-dong, Seoul on September 14th. They decided to impose fines of 30 million KRW (~25,384 USD) to each of the four programs such as "Produce 101", "Produce 101 Season 2", "Produce 48", and "Produce X 101" resulting in a total fine of 120 million KRW.

According to the Enforcement Decree of the Broadcasting Act, program providers such as Mnet can increase or decrease the fine up to 50% from the standard fine of 20 million KRW. However, the 'Produce 101' series has received an increased fine.

Previously, the production team had manipulated the viewers' text voting results to change out a disqualified contestant to become qualified for the audition, in turn, dropping a contestant who qualified in the viewer votes.

The Korea Communications Standards Commission stated, "It's a serious problem that has not only caused damage to viewers but also the contestants. The manipulation of votes took place for four years despite the broadcasting company's verification system. We have judged that the actions of deception must be eradicated through strict sanctions."