Mnet’s popular audition program “Produce 101” officially confirmed that there had been foul play involved in voting for the show’s contestants, with some fans attempting to rig the process.

A screengrab shows the 101 contestants of “Produce 101” performing the song “Pick Me.” (Mnet)

According to the show’s creator CJ E&M, transactions of CJ ONE accounts -- which allow users to vote on the show -- had occurred at China-based websites. Some of the accounts had been sold on the condition that the buyer vote for a specific candidate.

“We estimate that around 2 percent of voters participated via account sales, and we have blocked the said voters from websites of ‘Produce 101,’” CJ E&M said in an official statement. It added that all illegitimate votes have been nullified and that this measure does not influence the results.

The eleven winners of the show are decided by popular vote. The company has requested the aforementioned websites to remove such transactions and has blocked votes from users with China-based IP addresses.

In its second season this year, “Produce 101” pits K-pop trainees against one another and allows winners to officially debut as singers.

Its name comes from its tradition of having 101 participants, who all perform its theme song on one stage prior to the show kicking off.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)