Mnet’s “Kingdom” hasn’t aired yet and issues are already rising!
The highly anticipated upcoming competition program will air its first episode on April 1st. It will feature THE BOYZ, Stray Kids, ATEEZ, BTOB, iKON, and SF9 as competitors.
On March 29, one Korean news outlet published a report by industry representatives that have been raising an issue with the way Mnet behaved regarding the maximum budget for stage decoration.
The groups were told beforehand that the maximum budget for stage decoration would be 5 million won (approximately $4,416) each in order to ensure fairness, but during the recording, some of the groups’ agencies asked why a certain group had a stage design that obviously appeared to be over the allowed budget and they questioned whether it was due to CJ ENM’s [they own Mnet] investment in that specific group agency.
The production team had reportedly told the group teams that its because that specific group props were from their concert, however, that didn’t resolve the issue.
Another report stated that the budget was revised so the teams could go over it but this was only communicated to three of the six teams, unlike the first report that stated only one team went over the budget.
In response to the report, Mnet’s “Kingdom” has released an official statement, they apologized for ‘not considering details that could’ve been defined like limits and possible situations.’ They added that the production team realizes the gravity of the issue in terms of this aspect and are working closely with the six teams and their agencies in order for the competition to be carried out smoothly.
They stated,
“As we have to prioritize the artists’ creativity for the best possible performances, we have concerns and are cautious about presenting a specific guide regarding all the aspects of stage set production.”
“Kingdom” will air its premiere episode on April 1 at 7:50 p.m. KST.
Source: (A)
