With the controversy over Jun Hyun-moo's staged impromptu trip still raging, 'I Live Alone' announced a new trip featuring Kim Shin-young.
On the 2nd, MBC I Live Alone's official account posted "Recruiting tour participants," saying, "Homebody Shin-young has left the house!! Follow along on this trip as she follows her own routine, it departs this Friday at 11:10 p.m. Don't miss it!! #I Live Alone #Kim Shin-young #What_is_her_travel_routine?" and attached a photo.
The posted photo showed the I Live Alone members posing for a group shot. The trip's star Kim Shin-young, Jun Hyun-moo, Cocoon, Kian84, Lee Seon-min, Ryu Hyeyoung and others struck poses in the studio where the recording took place, drawing attention.
The producers also promoted the trip, saying they were recruiting tour participants and "this Friday the 4th, anywhere you can watch TV, everyone on Earth, those who want to taste the standard of planned travel," urging people to tune in.
However, Jun Hyun-moo's recent impromptu trip to Kazakhstan became embroiled in allegations of staging, and the suspicions have not been fully resolved.
On the 14th and 21st, I Live Alone showed Jun Hyun-moo taking advantage of his time off from broadcasting to go on a 2 Days & 1 Night trip to Almaty, Kazakhstan. Afterward, on SNS and online communities, people said the process of renting a car differed from reality, and allegations of sponsorship poured in as it was deemed unrealistic that dozens of staff spontaneously bought plane tickets and booked accommodations.
I Live Alone issued statements twice, but some reactions say that their oddly different attitudes during the process only fueled unnecessary controversy.
In the first statement they drew a firm line, saying "There was no support for filming or sponsorships related to this Kazakhstan trip," but in the second they said, "Administrative procedures necessary for local filming and filming cooperation needed for on-site progress were received, allowing it to proceed smoothly."
Some said that if they had stated from the start that they received administrative procedures and the cooperation of authorities for smooth filming, the matter would have been wrapped up quickly, but that pretending there was no involvement and then changing the nuance in an additional statement undermined trust. In addition, the Almaty city government mentioned I Live Alone's trip on Kazakhstan's government website, introducing that "there was support from the Almaty tourism office," which dealt a direct blow to trust in I Live Alone.
Channel A anchor Kim Jin posted on SNS, "They received filming cooperation from Almaty and then acted as if they spontaneously rented a car. The explanation and the broadcast are not truthful, MBC 'I Live Alone'," and added, "It was impossible for me to buy Almaty plane tickets for 6–8 people on the same day," targeting Jun Hyun-moo.
While some responses to I Live Alone's post express anticipation for Kim Shin-young's trip, others offer sharp criticism such as "How shameless," "They seem to be trying to divert public opinion," "scripted," "broadcast deceiving viewers," "Are you going to fake this too?" and "They deceived viewers and there is no apology."
[Photo] MBC I Live Alone SNS
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