We have summarized the controversies surrounding PD Jung Jong-yeon that have resurfaced with the release of Devil's Plan 3. Check out the plagiarism controversy surrounding The Genius, similarities with Mystery Investigation Team, and the allegations linking The Great Escape to Ilbe all in one go.

Legends like Jang Dong-min, Hong Jin-ho, and Oh Hyun-min make a full appearance on 'Devil's Plan 3' 🔥

Everyone is looking forward to it, right?

However, even right before the release, posts calling for a "public discussion of PD Jung Jong-yeon's plagiarism" started spreading across online communities, and the atmosphere felt ominous. 😭

For those wondering, "They called him a genius PD, but plagiarism?", let's go through the resurfacing controversies one by one 👇

1. The Beginning of PD Jung Jong-yeon's Plagiarism Controversy, The Genius

데블스 플랜3 공개 앞두고 다시 소환된 정종연 PD 논란? 표절 논란부터 일베 의혹까지

The biggest issue raised is his breakout show, 'The Genius' 💡

The claim is that it plagiarized the Japanese drama 'Liar Game' and the manga 'Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji'. The similarities pointed out in the public discussion post are as follows.

Black Invitation, Masked Dealer's Voice Modulation Rule Explanation

Gems (Garnets) serving as currency and name tags counting the number of gems

Set structure with a main TV and a polygonal table

Kaiji 'Limited Rock Paper Scissors' ↔ Genius '1.2.3 Game'

Liar Game 'Musical Chairs' ↔ Genius 'Presidential Election Game'

Liar Game 'Angels and Demons' ↔ Genius 'Zombie Game'

It was pointed out that the theme song from *Liar Game* was used in the *Genius* spin-off and Season 4.

The production team's stance varied slightly depending on the period.

2013: It is true that it was referenced, but the game was independently conceived; no rights were purchased.

Subsequent interview: The motif is 'Big Brother', 'Survivor'

2014 Season 3: Referenced, but not copied

The public is also taking issue with the fact that the Genius format was sold overseas without the plagiarism being acknowledged. A Dutch version was produced in 2022 and a UK version in 2025.

2. Controversy over "The Great Escape" Lint language plagiarism and similarities with "Mystery Investigation Team"

✨ The Great Escape × Kamen Rider Kuuga

Criticism that the code in 'Great Escape 4' is identical to the Rint language design from 'Kamen Rider Kuuga'

In this case, PD Jung Jong-yeon admitted to the plagiarism and apologized.

✨ Mystery Investigation Team × Jamdeul TV Mystery Investigation Team

Jamdeul TV 'Mystery Investigation Team' (2020) ↔ Jung Jong-yeon 'Mystery Investigation Team' (2023)

The titles differ by only one letter, and both are set as six-person teams handling special cases.

It was pointed out that the Season 2 logo and the 'Secret of Baek Soo-dam' episode are also similar.

Producer Jung Jong-yeon stated at the Season 2 production press conference that there were not many similarities other than the title. It is said that there has been no further clarification since then.

3. Why did the allegations linking "The Great Escape" to Ilbe arise?

The Ilbe allegations started with the names and subtitles in 'The Great Escape'.

Great Escape 3 Female Victim Character Names: 'Na Yeo-ri', 'Jo Shin-ae', 'Ki Se-ra'

Controversy over misogyny as they are read as 'I am delicate,' 'I am modest,' and 'I am spirited,' respectively.

The Great Escape 2 (June 2, 2019) 'A door that opens with a light tap' subtitles

Criticism that it trivialized the "I hit you and you died" remark from the Park Jong-cheol torture death case.

However, this is an allegation raised by viewers. It has never been confirmed as fact or acknowledged by the production team.

4. Other controversies, such as casting and male-dominated variety shows

🔹 Casting

Controversy over political bias in the episode of The Genius featuring Lee Jun-seok due to the inclusion of footage of former President Park Geun-hye.

Criticism of 'image laundering' for casting Kang Yong-seok in Season 3 without any period of self-reflection following the controversy over his derogatory remarks about announcers.

🔹 Other programs

Great Escape: Legal Sanctions for Promoting Prejudice Against Mentally Ill People, Reporting on Smoking and Leaving Trash on Hiking Trails

Society Game: Criticism that the poster background resembles the Rising Sun Flag

Meow is a Fake: Controversy over False Adoption Contracts and Breed Discrimination

🔹 Male-dominated Variety Shows and Girls' High School Mystery Class

The Genius has 3 to 5 female contestants per season, while The Great Escape has 6 fixed members, all of whom are male.

Girls' High School Mystery Club 2 faces criticism for secondary victimization for framing the subject of illegal filming as a story of a man's false accusation.

5. Devil's Plan: Dead Again and the Rekindled Controversy

The official title of 'Devil's Plan 3' is 'Devil's Plan: Dead Again'.

Release: November 10, 2026 on Netflix

Directed by: Jung Jong-yeon, Choi Yoon-hee PD

Cast: Jang Dong-min, Hong Jin-ho, Ha Seok-jin, Oh Hyun-min, Jung Hyun-kyu, Nucksal, Seo Chul-gu, Shindong, John Park, Jaejae, Stella Jang, Yurisa, Kim Dong-jae, Ido, Jung Won-young, Hyun Kyung-ryul

Producer Jung Jong-yeon stated that he wanted to break the standards of existing survival shows by recruiting winners first. Producer Choi Yoon-hee said that she paid attention to protecting the contestants, which was a point of criticism during Season 2.

I heard that this public discussion was started jointly by the Liar Game fandom and the Jamddle TV fandom. Their demands are an admission of plagiarism, fair compensation for the original author, and an apology. The posts regarding the public discussion even included testimonies that they were attacked by Genius fans after pointing out past plagiarism. 👀

You can find more details, including a comparison of game rules, the full explanation from the production team, and testimonies regarding cyberbullying, in the summary post below 👇

Twitter original

Go to the post summarizing the detailed allegations

💡 Frequently Asked Questions (Q&A)

Q. Is the plagiarism controversy involving PD Jung Jong-yeon true?

A. Regarding the plagiarism allegations concerning The Genius's Liar Game, the production team denied that they copied it, stating that while they did reference it, they did not plagiarize it. As for the Lintu language cipher issue in The Great Escape, PD Jung Jong-yeon admitted to the plagiarism and apologized.

Q. Did the Mystery Investigation Team copy the Jamdeul Mystery Investigation Team?

A. It was pointed out that the title, setting, and logo are similar. Producer Jung Jong-yeon stated that there are not many similarities other than the title.

Q. Is the allegation that PD Jung Jong-yeon is an Ilbe member true?

A. It is a suspicion raised by viewers due to the Great Escape character name and the 'Tuk Chi Ni Cheok' subtitle. It has never been confirmed as fact.

Q. When will Devil's Plan 3 be released?

A. 'Devil's Plan: Dead Again' will be released on Netflix on November 10, 2026.