IZ*ONE will resume their activities amid the vote-rigging scandal that took place on Mnet’s ‘Produce’ reality audition show.
The South Korean cable channel confirmed in a statement that the project’s girl group will return to the music scene in February, with respect to IZ*ONE and its fan’s wishes.
The news came after the Korean-Japanese group temporarily suspended all activities that included the release of their first full-length album, ‘BLOOM*IZ’, last November, following the show’s main producer Ahn Joon-young admitting to the manipulation of the program’s rankings.
Last year, the ‘Produce’ series was hit with allegations after fans spotted differences in votes of their favourite competitors during the fourth season of the vote-based show where the project boy group X1 formed.
While IZ*ONE has been decided to return to the spotlight, the new all-male act officially parted ways earlier this month following the vote-fixing controversy. Some of the members are currently preparing for solo activities.
Hundreds of fans — loyally known as One It — protested against the disbandment of the group in front of Mnet’s headquarters last Wednesday and trended multiple hashtags on Twitter, voicing their support and expressing their anger and sadness.
The ‘Produce’ series aired for four seasons and features young talent participants competing for a place in the Produce-formed groups — I.O.I, Wanna One, IZ*ONE, and X1.
IZ*ONE debuted in 2018 during the fan voting-based audition show’s third season, ‘Produce 48’, with 12 members hailing from Korea and Japan.
