Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Following the court revealing a list of contestants who were eliminated due to manipulation, Mnet has released a statement on the ruling, stating that they accept the decision (no shit) and talk about discussions on compensation for those victimized.
Today, the trial of appeals for the case related to the “Produce 101” series was held. Mnet respects the court’s decision and humbly accepts their ruling. We once again bow our heads in apology for stirring up a scandal. During the process of the trial, a list of the trainees who were harmed by the “Produce 101” series was revealed. We feel extremely apologetic towards the trainees and their families who were deeply hurt by us. From the moment the issue was raised, Mnet has been discussing compensation for the affected trainees we could identify ourselves. Some of the discussions are complete, while others are still ongoing. We will take responsibility until the end and do our best to compensate for the damages incurred by all affected trainees revealed through today’s trial. We sincerely apologize once more to the trainees who were harmed because of us, their families, and the viewers who supported the “Produce 101” series with love.
Soon after, either the contestants themselves or their companies released statements on the ruling.
That day, a source from High Entertainment stated to Star News, “After seeing the information, we’ve had sufficient conversations with actress Lee Ga Eun and internal discussions. Through those talks, we’ve decided that we currently do not plan to take separate action.”
They continued, “Lee Ga Eun is working as an actress now, but she’s currently also studying music on her own. If there’s an opportunity [for her to do music] or she personally wants to, then we will help her.”
A source from Pledis Entertainment stated to Newsen, “We are glad that it was clearly revealed that Baekho was a victim, though it is late. We will keep an eye on the action that will be taken from now on.”
The agency denied rumors of Baekho voluntarily stepping down, which was sparked by the fact that CP (chief producer) Kim Yong Bum had stated in his first trial that there had been a trainee in the second season who did not wish to be in the debut lineup and was subsequently eliminated.
LIMITLESS’s A.M (Seong Hyun Woo)
Hello, this is Seong Hyun Woo.
This morning, I was very confused after receiving a sudden influx of messages from many people expressing their worry and sadness.
I am once again sorry to my fans for making you worry.
I remember a time during filming where I stayed up until dawn practicing with the director of photography, desperate to give a more perfect performance and show everyone my face at least once more.
I am very saddened, just like I was back then. However, instead of focusing on my elimination, I’m satisfied that I gave this precious opportunity everything I had and I’m grateful for the growth I experienced.
I am also glad that I was able to share my final thoughts on the matter.
Instead of feeling sorry for me, I would be very thankful if you could support me as I carry on with my career in music. I am sincerely thankful for my fans who always support and think of me.
I hope there will be aggressive pursuit of compensation. I know what Kaeun’s statement says, but they should go after them hard if they didn’t get something done in private already. Being in IZ*ONE would completely change her career trajectory, and even if she wanted to be an actress afterwards, having the cache of being in IZ*ONE would’ve made that easier as well.
The thing with Baekho is basically they wanted to make it clear that Mnet was lying about him to the end, claiming he withdrew but was actually rigged out, which unsurprisingly continues to make Mnet look like shit.
Meanwhile, IZ*ONE is still the only active group, and Mnet essentially said this won’t impact them.
Hello. This is Mnet.
We are making a statement about IZ*ONE’s future activities.
As scheduled, IZ*ONE will be releasing a new album on December 7, and they also plan to attend the 2020 MAMA on December 6.
The responsibility for this ‘Produce’ situation rests entirely on Mnet alone. Mnet will take full responsibility for the trainees who have suffered damages, and we will also do our utmost to fully support IZ*ONE, who is already promoting and whose members are already chasing their individual dreams [as artists].
Off The Record Entertainment and Swing Entertainment, who are currently co-managing IZ*ONE, will also do their utmost to fulfill their duties and aid the growth of their artist.
We sincerely thank all of the fans who always love and support IZ*ONE. Furthermore, we apologize once again to all of the viewers who cared about and rooted for the trainees who suffered damages due to this situation.
I mean, I understand anybody bitter towards them, but that also seems fair. It also seems rather common sense for the companies because they’re not going to tank a successful group who has already locked in a great amount of people for a fanbase.
