[Breaking News] 'I Live Alone' Jeon Hyun-moo's Impromptu Travel Controversy Ultimately Admitted by All: "Production Team's Oversight"

*This content was translated by AI.

The production team of MBC's 'I Live Alone' (hereinafter referred to as 'I Live Alone') has finally bowed its head in response to the controversy surrounding Jeon Hyun-moo's impromptu trip to Kazakhstan.

In a lengthy official statement released on the 4th, the 'I Live Alone' production team stated: "The episode featuring Jeon Hyun-moo's trip to Kazakhstan was produced by following Jeon Hyun-moo, who enjoys impromptu travel, as he went about his daily life. The term 'impromptu travel' used in the broadcast meant that Jeon Hyun-moo decided on a destination and departed on the same day without pre-determining the destination or flight tickets." They added: "To prepare for the possibility of overseas filming for this episode, the production team reviewed flight options and filming conditions in advance. Focusing on nearby countries accessible within a limited timeframe, they explored various possibilities. Considering Jeon Hyun-moo's usual travel interests and the flight situation at the time, it was deemed highly likely that Kazakhstan would be selected."

Continuing, "If the decision to go to Kazakhstan was made, we had already booked staff flight tickets in advance and requested local filming cooperation so that we could respond immediately to filming," they stated. "If Jeon Hyun-moo chose a different destination on the day or failed to secure a flight ticket to Kazakhstan, we planned to cancel the staff's flight tickets and naturally incorporate any unexpected situations arising during this process as part of the journey." They further explained: "On the day, Jeon Hyun-moo confirmed available flights departing from the airport and directly purchased a flight ticket to Kazakhstan on-site. However, in emphasizing the term 'impromptu travel' in the broadcast, we failed to fully consider that viewers might interpret the entire process of the trip and filming as having been conducted without any prior preparation."

Regarding support from the Almaty City Tourism Office, the production team stated: "We received administrative procedures necessary for overseas filming and filming cooperation for on-site operations from the Almaty City Tourism Office. The previously stated position that 'there was no support' meant that there were no financial sponsorships or production budget contributions. However, this expression could be misinterpreted as meaning there was absolutely no administrative or filming cooperation locally, so we provided supplementary explanation." They added: "We apologize for causing confusion due to insufficient explanation during this process."

Furthermore, regarding the rental car usage: "The vehicle was directly reserved by Jeon Hyun-moo at Incheon Airport. Upon arrival in Kazakhstan, he submitted copies of his passport and international driving permit according to the rental company's instructions and received the car. However, after receiving criticism following the broadcast regarding insufficient documentation, we confirmed through the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Kazakhstan that a notarization procedure by the Kazakh Embassy in South Korea is required to rent a vehicle within Kazakhstan—a fact we only realized late." They admitted: "This was an oversight by the production team for not carefully verifying local regulations."

In its August 14 broadcast, 'I Live Alone' presented a scenario where Jeon Hyun-moo, amidst a busy schedule, arrived at the airport with just one backpack for a single 29-hour break. Upon seeing the flight display board, he immediately selected Almaty, located seven hours away, as his destination. The episode showed him purchasing flight tickets on-site, along with arranging a rental car and accommodation in quick succession, providing viewers with thrilling vicarious satisfaction.

However, immediately after the broadcast, numerous tourists testified that renting a car on the spot for foreigners is complicated due to local communication networks and complex verification procedures. Additionally, criticism arose that the premise of dozens of staff members securing seats on the same flight as Jeon Hyun-moo on the same day was implausible within the broadcasting system.

Subsequently, on the 29th, the YouTube channel 'Entertainment Backstabber Lee Jin-ho' claimed that 'I Live Alone' had already decided on Almaty as the travel destination one week before filming and that flight tickets for both Jeon Hyun-moo and the production team were prepared in advance. Lee Jin-ho also pointed out: "Even if one ticket for Jeon Hyun-moo was purchased on the day, how were the remaining 6–7 tickets secured?"

In response, the production team had previously stated: "Regarding this Kazakhstan trip, we did not receive any filming support or sponsorship."

Following this, the 'I Live Alone' production team revised its statement: "We clarify that for the Kazakhstan episode, there were no financial sponsorships or production budget contributions from the Almaty City Tourism Office. However, we received necessary administrative procedures and filming cooperation for on-site operations, which allowed us to proceed smoothly."

Hello. This is the production team of MBC's 'I Live Alone'.

First, we sincerely apologize for the delayed official statement. Due to the nature of reality programs, we were concerned that sharing detailed production processes with viewers might undermine the program's foundation of realism and hinder immersion, which prevented us from issuing a prompt statement. We apologize again.

The episode featuring Jeon Hyun-moo's trip to Kazakhstan was produced by following Jeon Hyun-moo, who enjoys impromptu travel, as he went about his daily life.

The term 'impromptu travel' used in the broadcast meant that Jeon Hyun-moo decided on a destination and departed on the same day without pre-determining the destination or flight tickets.

To prepare for this episode, the production team reviewed flight options and filming conditions in advance to account for the possibility of overseas filming. Focusing on nearby countries accessible within a limited timeframe, they explored various possibilities. Considering Jeon Hyun-moo's usual travel interests and the flight situation at the time, it was deemed highly likely that Kazakhstan would be selected.

Accordingly, if the decision to go to Kazakhstan was made, we had already booked staff flight tickets in advance and requested local filming cooperation so that we could respond immediately to filming. If Jeon Hyun-moo chose a different destination on the day or failed to secure a flight ticket to Kazakhstan, we planned to cancel the staff's flight tickets and naturally incorporate any unexpected situations arising during this process as part of the journey.

Jeon Hyun-moo confirmed available flights departing from the airport on the day and directly purchased a flight ticket to Kazakhstan on-site. However, in emphasizing the term 'impromptu travel' in the broadcast, we failed to fully consider that viewers might interpret the entire process of the trip and filming as having been conducted without any prior preparation.

Regarding support from the Almaty City Tourism Office: The production team received administrative procedures necessary for overseas filming and filming cooperation for on-site operations from the Almaty City Tourism Office. The previously stated position that 'there was no support' meant that there were no financial sponsorships or production budget contributions. However, this expression could be misinterpreted as meaning there was absolutely no administrative or filming cooperation locally, so we provided supplementary explanation. We apologize for causing confusion due to insufficient explanation during this process.

Regarding the rental car usage: The vehicle was directly reserved by Jeon Hyun-moo at Incheon Airport. Upon arrival in Kazakhstan, he submitted copies of his passport and international driving permit according to the rental company's instructions and received the car. However, after receiving criticism following the broadcast regarding insufficient documentation, we confirmed through the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Kazakhstan that a notarization procedure by the Kazakh Embassy in South Korea is required to rent a vehicle within Kazakhstan—a fact we only realized late. This was an oversight by the production team for not carefully verifying local regulations.

'I Live Alone' has always placed the utmost value on conveying the daily lives of its participants as authentically as possible. Nevertheless, in this episode, we leaned too heavily on the judgment that we must not undermine the program's realism and immersion, resulting in insufficient explanation of the actual filming process. Consequently, we caused misunderstanding and confusion among viewers and failed to provide timely and clear explanations regarding subsequent questions. We sincerely apologize for the shortcomings in our production team's judgment and response.

We will take the criticism and reprimands you have sent us seriously. Returning to our original intentions, we will revisit our production methods and attitudes from scratch and strive to create more careful broadcasts.

Thank you.

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*This content was translated by AI.