These days, when sincerity may or may not reach viewers' hearts, allegations of staging in entertainment programs have come under scrutiny. Because this directly relates to sincerity, it is not something to be taken lightly.
The recent entertainment program accused of deceiving viewers and staging scenes is MBC 'I Live Alone'. Although scenes were shown of Jun Hyun-moo heading to the airport on a whim to make the most of a 2 Days & 1 Night holiday amid a busy schedule, deciding a destination on the spot, buying plane tickets and then booking a rental car and accommodation, after the broadcast viewers reacted that the process of renting a car and issuing tickets did not seem spontaneous.
The I Live Alone side initially said there was no filming support or sponsorship, but when the Almaty city side in Kazakhstan stated on its official website that it had provided filming support, a dispute over the truth erupted, and later they explained that while they did not receive monetary sponsorship or production funding, they received administrative procedures and on-site filming cooperation necessary for the shoot, which allowed the production to proceed smoothly.
They also apologized about buying and issuing plane tickets on the spot, saying, "It is true that staff tickets to Kazakhstan were issued in advance and local filming cooperation was requested in advance to respond to filming within a limited time. We planned to cancel if we went elsewhere that day or could not get tickets, but because the broadcast emphasized 'impromptu,' the explanation of the preparation process was insufficient."
Love War was accused of staging because of a cast member's lighthearted, playful "mumul." Love War is a program that depicts the all-or-nothing final settlement of lovers on the brink, featuring Lee Hyori, Seo Jang-hoon and Kim Hee-cheul, and Lee Hyori drew attention at the press conference by saying, "I actually had doubts. (Ordinary participants) why would they want to appear on the show? Isn't it because they want to become famous? Do they really have relationship worries and come because of that? I had that prejudice, but when I actually came and saw, they really had worries. They wanted to hear solutions and wanted to see themselves objectively. There were couples who actually broke up on site. So I thought this is real. I tend to dislike fakeness, so I enjoy vicarious satisfaction through it."
A woman surnamed A, who recently appeared on the show as a "business partner couple," answered "It is real" when asked after the broadcast, "Is it really staged or not?" When asked why they did not break up and about changes in her boyfriend Mr. B's behavior after appearing, she responded with remarks such as "I sincerely apologize if anyone felt bad after watching the show" and "You should have acted sooner." In particular, when asked whether they appeared to promote themselves on social media, she replied, "I sometimes did creator mumul, sorry (I apologize)."
Netizens reacted to these playful responses with comments such as "There were probably many people who gave sincere advice like Lee Hyori, but seeing them just post weird clips and play around, I get it." Ultimately A apologized, saying, "I thought showing only serious sides might actually worry people more, so I packaged myself playfully and that seemed to cause resentment. I will be a bit more mature from now on."
This is not the first time Love War has faced questions about sincerity. Previously, when a couple from Love after Divorce appeared, they were criticized for appearing with a remarrying-conflict concept to raise the profile of a woman active as an influencer.
I Live Alone is suffering from the production team's complacent judgment, and Love War is in trouble because of a cast member's light social media activity, both facing allegations of staging. Because these suspicions can damage a program's sincerity rather than being a simple happening, both production teams and cast members are required to make more careful decisions.
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