On March 29, Ilgan Sports reported that there was unfair treatment between the participants of Mnet's "Kingdom" with regard to the production cost. The Korean media outlet stated that one group is getting advantages, while the others are not.

The recording of the first contest was held last month, with The Boyz, ATEEZ, BTOB, Stray Kids, SF9, and iKON completing the hit song mission. While everyone thought the filming was normal than usual, it turned out that there was a problem of fairness at that time.

Mnet "Kingdom" Under Controversy for Unfair Treatment between Contestants

According to Ilgan Sports' exclusive report on March 29, multiple music officials stated that the recording of the first contest, which was held last month, was stopped halfway. The reason for this is because one group's management agency raised an issue regarding the unfair treatment stage set-up.

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At that time, Mnet "Kingdom" participants were carrying out the hit song mission. In the middle of the recording, an official from an entertainment company pointed out that there was a bias concerning the props of the boy groups.

In particular, one group's stage featured expensive sets and props, and so the managers of the other teams asked the production crew to create a fair environment during the recording.

Ahead of filming, Mnet's "Kingdom" informed the contestants that the maximum stage production cost for the hit song mission, which is the first round, would be five million KRW (4,417 USD). The purpose of the limit on production costs is to evaluate each group fairly since they all have various stage personalities.

However, one boy group in the competition allegedly received special treatment for their performance. It is said that this team belongs to a company that is supported by CJ ENM's investment.

Ilgan Sports said that the stage set-up and props used during the hit song mission surpassed the five-million KRW limit.

In response to allegations of unfair treatment between Mnet "Kingdom" participants, the production team explained that the props were the ones that are used at concerts, but the other groups raised questions since they all have had experienced holding concerts.

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Ilgan Sports went on to say that the issue regarding the unfair treatment in "Kingdom" became so severe that several of the group's management labels went to Mnet to complain about the matter.

What are your thoughts about the controversy? Tell us in the comments!

Mnet's "Kingdom" Drops More Videos Prior to Premiere

Meanwhile, Mnet's "Kingdom" has shared more videos featuring the participants: iKON, The Boyz, SF9, BTOB, Stray Kids, and ATEEZ. On March 24, Mnet shared a clip of the boy groups looking back on their top 3 most-viewed Mnet performance videos.

On March 25, Mnet dropped a preview of the first episode, further exciting fans. The preview shows clips of the performances from the first round of the survival show. Additionally, the video teases the moment before the winning team of the first round is announced. It was previously revealed that more than three million votes were gathered for the hit song mission.

Mnet's "Kingdom: Legendary War" is scheduled to begin airing on April 1. TVXQ Changmin will act as a host in the program, while bandmate Yunho will only appear as an MC for the parts he recorded due to his ongoing controversy.

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Written by Mhaliya Scott