The controversy over manipulation surrounding TV personality Jun Hyun Moo’s “impromptu trip” to Kazakhstan has flared up again.
Previously, I Live Alone faced manipulation allegations after Jun Hyun Moo’s trip to Kazakhstan aired. Concerns were raised about whether the trip was designed to appear impromptu while being pre-planned, after it became known that there were document issues involving rental cars locally and that the Almaty city tourism authorities had supported filming.
Previously Covered-Up Truths About The “I Live Alone” Controversy Come Out
Now, contrary to the broadcast content depicting the travel destination being decided spontaneously at the airport, it was revealed that the production team had prepared a script, including the flight to Kazakhstan and even the flow of conversations among the cast, starting as early as two weeks before departure.
According to an exclusive report by the Chosun Ilbo on October 16th, after reviewing materials submitted by Incheon International Airport Corporation to the office of Kim Eun Hye, a member of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the People Power Party, it was found that the production team of MBC’s I Live Alone specifically stated Jun Hyun Moo’s plan to fly to Kazakhstan when requesting filming permission at the airport on July 22.
The official document submitted at that time included the Air Astana flight, a Kazakhstan national airline, departing on August 6 at 11:10 a.m. The plan even included filming the scene where the airline tickets are issued at the Air Astana counter and the departure takes place. The actual flight Jun Hyun Moo boarded was the same.
More striking is the script submitted with the official document. The document contained detailed content showing Jun Hyun Moo saying, “I’ve been to China too many times; shall we try Kazakhstan?” and then calling actors Ku Sung Hwan and Lee Joo Seung to decide on the trip to Kazakhstan.
This largely matches the scenes aired on August 14. At that time, Jun Hyun Moo was shown arriving at Incheon Airport without any particular plan, deliberating on the travel destination on the spot, then calling Ku Sung Hwan before departing for Almaty, Kazakhstan.
However, as the process that was portrayed as spontaneous on the broadcast has been confirmed to have appeared in the pre-filmed script, questions about the production team’s existing explanations are growing.
The newly revealed documents did not specify any other travel candidates besides Kazakhstan. It was also confirmed that filming consent from the airline was obtained solely from Air Astana. Unlike previous explanations of merely preparing for the most likely destination, the fact that the specific flight and conversations between cast members were scripted in advance suggests the controversy will not easily die down.
Nevertheless, the documents alone do not confirm whether Jun Hyun Moo himself knew the destination in advance. The key issue remains how much the production team’s prepared scenarios aligned with the actual decisions made by the cast.
Lawmaker Kim Eun Hye pointed out that, apart from the entertainment value of variety programs, the broadcaster’s trustworthiness with viewers is crucial and criticized that the “impromptu departure” setup should have been frankly explained.
Attention is now focused on what explanation I Live Alone, which has already issued previous clarifications and apologies, will provide regarding the newly disclosed pre-script.