The production team of MBC variety program I Live Alone acknowledged and officially apologized for the recently raised controversy over Jun Hyun-moo's staged Kazakhstan trip and allegations of violating local driving regulations in the broadcast. This is the third explanatory statement and apology.
The I Live Alone production team bowed its head, saying in an official statement, "We bow our heads and apologize for the delay in providing a detailed position," and "because of the nature of reality programs, we were concerned that sharing detailed processes might undermine the sense of realism, so our response was delayed."
They first explained the allegations of manipulating the 'impromptu trip' setting that sparked controversy. The production team acknowledged that "Jun Hyun-moo decided the destination and booked the ticket himself on the day," but admitted that "it is true that, to respond to filming within a limited time, staff tickets to Kazakhstan were pre-booked and local filming cooperation was requested in advance." They added that they had planned to cancel if he went elsewhere or could not get a ticket that day, but because the broadcast emphasized 'impromptu,' they failed to sufficiently explain the prior preparations.
They apologized for causing confusion over the controversy about support from the Almaty City Tourism Board, saying, "Our intention was to convey that there was no monetary sponsorship or production funding, but this caused a misunderstanding that there was no administrative or on-site filming cooperation either."
They acknowledged that the controversy over driving a rental car without proper notarization locally was also the production team's oversight. The production team said, "Jun Hyun-moo booked at Incheon Airport and then submitted copies of his passport and international driving permit locally to receive the car, but after confirmation with the embassy we belatedly learned that notarization by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Korea is required for local rentals," admitting they failed to carefully check the regulations.
Finally, the production team said, "We have prioritized sincerity, but we failed to provide sufficient explanation about the actual filming process, causing misunderstanding and confusion," and "we take the criticisms and reproaches seriously and will return to our original intentions to reassess our production methods from the beginning," reiterating their apology.
-the following is the full statement from the I Live Alone production team
Hello. This is the production team of MBC I Live Alone.
First, we bow our heads and apologize for the delay in providing a detailed statement. Because of the nature of reality programs, we worried that sharing detailed production processes with viewers might undermine the program's fundamental sense of realism and hinder immersion, so we were unable to provide a prompt statement. We apologize again.
The recent episode featuring Jun Hyun-moo's trip to Kazakhstan was filmed by the production team following Jun Hyun-moo's everyday life, as he usually enjoys impromptu trips.
The 'impromptu trip' portrayed on the broadcast meant that Jun Hyun-moo decided the destination on the day without preselecting a destination or booking a ticket.
For that broadcast, the production team reviewed flight options and filming conditions in advance in case overseas filming was possible. They considered several nearby countries that could be reached within a limited time and judged that, considering places Jun Hyun-moo had shown interest in and the flight situation at the time, Kazakhstan was likely to be chosen.
Accordingly, to be able to respond immediately if Kazakhstan was chosen, staff tickets were pre-booked and local filming cooperation was requested. If Jun Hyun-moo had chosen a different destination that day or could not obtain a Kazakhstan ticket, the staff tickets would have been canceled, and any unexpected situations arising in that process would have been naturally captured as part of the trip.
On the day, Jun Hyun-moo checked available flights at the airport and issued a Kazakhstan ticket on site. However, in emphasizing the phrase 'impromptu trip' on the broadcast, they did not fully consider that viewers might interpret that all aspects of the trip and filming proceeded without any prior preparations.
Regarding support from the Almaty City Tourism Board, the production team says it received administrative procedures necessary for overseas filming and on-site cooperation for filming from the Almaty City Tourism Board. The earlier statement that 'there was no support' was intended to mean there was no monetary sponsorship or production funding, and because that expression could be interpreted to mean there was no administrative or filming cooperation locally, they offered this clarification. They apologized for failing to provide sufficient explanation and causing confusion.
They also provided additional explanation regarding the use of a rental car. The vehicle was reserved directly by Jun Hyun-moo at Incheon Airport and, upon arrival, he was handed the car after submitting copies of his passport and international driving permit according to the rental company's instructions. However, after receiving criticism about incomplete documentation following the broadcast and confirming through the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Kazakhstan, they belatedly recognized that notarization by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Korea is required to rent a vehicle within Kazakhstan. It was the production team's oversight for not checking local regulations carefully.
I Live Alone has always valued conveying cast members' daily lives as honestly as possible. Nevertheless, in this broadcast they leaned toward the judgment that they must not harm the program's realism and immersion, and thus failed to provide sufficient explanation about the actual filming process. As a result, they caused misunderstanding and confusion among viewers and did not respond quickly and clearly to questions raised afterward. They sincerely apologize for the production team's lack of judgment and response.
We will take the criticisms and reproaches you sent seriously. Returning to our original intentions, we will review our production methods and attitudes from the ground up and produce broadcasts more carefully. [Photo] broadcast capture [OSEN]