KBS Idol Audition 'The Unit' Final Rankings Reversed Due to Scoring Error

Board of Audit and Inspection Conducts Regular Audit of KBS... Online Score Entry Errors Found, Participant Scores Entered Differently from Actual

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] The Board of Audit and Inspection has released a report stating that the final rankings of the idol audition program 'The Unit,' which aired on KBS 2TV, were reversed due to an online score error.

On the 24th, the Board of Audit and Inspection announced the regular audit report on KBS. According to the Board, on February 10, 2018, when the final results of The Unit were broadcast, the freelance writer in charge mistakenly swapped participants' scores while entering the pre-online scores.

It was found that the pre-online scores of 15 out of 18 male participants and 13 out of 18 female participants in the final episode were entered differently from the actual scores. Due to the online score error, three participants who would have been eliminated if the scores had been accurately reflected were selected. Conversely, three participants who should have been selected were eliminated.

The Board of Audit and Inspection pointed out, "KBS not only allowed the broadcast of final rankings that differed from the actual results due to negligence in managing and supervising the live broadcast production and airing process, but also missed the opportunity to detect the discrepancy by failing to properly review and verify the consistency of pre-online scores per participant between internally produced documents after the live broadcast."

KBS did not raise any significant objections to the audit results and responded that it would take this as an opportunity to raise awareness to prevent recurrence and implement measures such as preparing a manual for 'audition programs.'

The Board of Audit and Inspection conveyed, "(KBS) stated that the error occurred as a simple mistake amid increased workload, such as only 3 out of 10 internal producers participating due to a general strike during the production and airing of the final episode, and that there was no other intention, such as favoring specific participants for selection."

The Board of Audit and Inspection stated, "We requested the President of the Korean Broadcasting System to thoroughly manage related tasks to prevent any reversal of final selected participants due to incorrect reflection of viewer voting results and to urge caution among those involved."