The production team of MBC's variety show I Live Alone issued an official apology, acknowledging that while airing Jun Hyun-moo's "impromptu trip" to Kazakhstan, they had preissued staff plane tickets and requested on-site filming support.
On the 4th, the I Live Alone production team released an official statement, saying, "We bow our heads in apology for the delay in providing a detailed position," and added, "The 'impromptu trip' as portrayed in the broadcast meant that Jun Hyun-moo decided on the destination on the day and left without having set the destination or plane ticket in advance."
Earlier in the broadcast, Jun Hyun-moo was shown heading to the airport without any particular plan, purchasing a ticket to Almaty, Kazakhstan, on site, and booking accommodations and a rental car to travel.
However, after the broadcast, suspicions arose online about whether it was truly an "impromptu trip" without any preparation, citing procedures for using a local rental car and the fact that news of the I Live Alone shoot was featured on Almaty's official page.
In particular, the controversy grew after Almaty authorities said the shoot for I Live Alone was carried out with support from the city's tourism department.
The production team issued statements twice, on the 25th and 31st of last month, but focused at the time on explaining that there was no monetary sponsorship. They did not provide a clear explanation of how much the destination and plane tickets had been prepared in advance. Four days after the second statement, they issued a third position with additional clarification.
According to the production team, they reviewed flights and filming conditions in advance in case overseas filming became possible. They said they judged there was a high likelihood Kazakhstan would be chosen as the destination, considering destinations Jun Hyun-moo had shown interest in and flight availability at the time.
Accordingly, they preissued plane tickets for staff and requested local cooperation for filming so they could shoot immediately if Jun Hyun-moo chose to go to Kazakhstan. They said they planned to cancel those tickets if Jun Hyun-moo chose another destination or could not obtain tickets to Kazakhstan.
They emphasized, however, that Jun Hyun-moo's own ticket was not purchased in advance.
The production team said, "After confirming flights available for same-day departure at the airport, Jun Hyun-moo personally issued his ticket to Kazakhstan on site," but bowed their heads, adding, "In emphasizing the term 'impromptu trip' in the broadcast, we failed to fully consider that it could be taken to mean the entire travel and filming process proceeded without any prior preparation."
They also acknowledged receiving filming cooperation from the Almaty Tourism Department. The production team said they received assistance from the Almaty Tourism Department for administrative procedures required for overseas filming and for on-site operations.
They clarified that their earlier explanation of "no support" meant they did not receive monetary sponsorship or production cost support, and did not mean there was no administrative or filming cooperation.
They also acknowledged that they failed to properly check local regulations during the rental car process.
The production team said, "After Jun Hyun-moo made a direct reservation for the vehicle at Incheon Airport, he submitted copies of his passport and international driver's license locally and received the car."
However, they said that after checking with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Kazakhstan, they belatedly learned that notarization by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Korea is required to rent a vehicle locally. The production team apologized, saying, "It was the production team's oversight for not carefully checking local regulations."
Regarding this controversy, the production team said, "We prioritized not undermining the program's realism and immersion and thus failed to provide sufficient explanation of the actual filming process," and acknowledged wrongdoing, adding, "We caused confusion and misunderstanding among viewers and did not respond swiftly and clearly to the questions raised afterward."
They added, "We will take your criticism and admonitions seriously," and said, "We will return to our original intentions, reexamine our production methods and attitude from the ground up, and produce the program with greater care."