Despite the ongoing voting controversy, Mnet is continuing to push IZ*ONE's activities, and a possible Wanna One reunion, and Korean netizens are pissed
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On Wednesday, Nov. 18, the Seoul High Court announced the trainees who were eliminated unfairly way during their respective "Produce" seasons. During "Produce 101", Mystic Entertainment's Kim Suhyun and SS Entertainment's Seo Hyelin were eliminated because of the manipulated ranks.
In "Produce 101 Season 2", it was The Vibe Label's Song Hyunwoo and Pledis Entertainment's Kang Dongho. In "Produce 48", it was Pledis Entertainment's Lee Gaeun and CUBE Entertainment's Han Chowon. In "Produce X 101", ESteem's Timothée Anzardi, Music Work's Kim Kookheon, Maroo Entertainment's Lee Jinwoo, Starship Entertainment's Koo Jungmo, TOP Media's Lee Jinhyuk, and C9 Entertainment's Keum Donghyun were all unfairly eliminated.
Once these trainees were revealed, people thought that Mnet would postpone all IZ*ONE's activities to prevent the group from receiving hate. However, that is not the case.
On Friday, Nov. 20, Mnet announced that IZ*ONE will still perform and attend the 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA). On top of that, they announced IZ*ONE will release their new album on Dec. 7 as scheduled.
Currently, IZ*ONE is the only project group from the "Produce" series that are still promoting and have not disbanded. Many netizens were upset with Mnet's statement, in which they used IZ*ONE as a shield for their mistakes. Their statement reads, "Mnet will take responsibility for the trainees are victims and will continue to wholeheartedly support IZ*ONE as they continue on their path to their dreams right no."
Fans believe that due to IZ*ONE's upcoming disbandment, Mnet is dead-set on promoting IZ*ONE to profit off of them as much as they can. People are saying that doing so is reckless; the hate that Mnet is receiving will ultimately go to IZ*ONE as well, which could be detrimental for their careers. Fans are accusing Mnet of lacking concern over the girls of IZ*ONE and for being greedy.
What further infuriates fans is that Mnet has reportedly not given up on a potential Wanna One reunion for the 2020 MAMA. Fans are upset with the method Mnet is taking to secure all the members of Wanna One for this potential reunion. All the members of Wanna One are currently pursuing their own solo or group activities, and fans agree that if they were to reunite as Wanna One, they should also gain something from that.
However, Mnet stated they only want them to reunite for a group performance. Mnet is allegedly demanding the agencies of the members to let Wanna One reunite for this one-time performance. This has put a bad taste in fans' mouths, as they believe Mnet should be discussing compensation to the victims of their voting manipulation.
Fans are saying that if Mnet wants to force Wanna One back on stage, they should at least make sure their performance is of good quality and that they invest all the necessary time and resources into Wanna One. However, the members have not come together and carried out a single rehearsal at all.
It has been two years since Wanna One has disbanded. The 2020 MAMA is scheduled to be in two weeks. With that, netizens and fans are asking how the boys of Wanna One are expected to pull off a performance with no rehearsal.
What do you think of the situation?
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