Producer Ahn Joon-young, who was convicted of manipulating Mnet's "Produce 101" and sentenced to prison, has rejoined the company.
According to Korean media reports on April 3rd, PD Ahn Joon-young has returned to Mnet's music division approximately a year and five months after his release from prison in November 2021.
An Mnet official confirmed that Ahn has rejoined the company, but could not provide specific timing details, saying that he had resigned from the company last year.
Ahn requested re-entry, stating that he wants to play a role in restoring Mnet's and his personal reputation, and that he has a strong desire to make amends. Mnet granted his request, citing his determination and willingness to improve.
Ahn is said to be planning new content for multiple platforms after rejoining the company, although a CJ ENM official denied that Ahn will be involved in the production of "Boyz Planet," a program with a similar concept to the "Produce" series.
Ahn was found guilty of manipulating the results of paid text message voting for four seasons of Mnet's "Produce" series and receiving entertainment entertainment worth tens of millions of won from five entertainment agency officials from 2018 to 2019.
He was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 37 million won. Ahn appealed the verdict, but both the first and second trials upheld the decision, and the Supreme Court confirmed the original verdict. Ahn was released from prison in November 2021 after serving his two-year sentence.
Although the "Produce" series was a huge success, creating popular idol groups such as IOI, Wanna One, and IZ*ONE, its reputation was damaged after the manipulation was exposed and performers and viewers were deceived.
Ahn Joon-young returns to Mnet’s music division with plans for new content
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