Allegations of staging, undisclosed sponsorship cloud 'I Live Alone' impromptu trip

Broadcaster Jeon Hyun-moo decides to take an impromptu trip to Almaty, Kazakhstan. [MBC's "I Live Alone"]

Allegations have emerged that a segment on MBC's variety program "I Live Alone," in which broadcaster Jeon Hyun-moo travels to Almaty, Kazakhstan, was presented as a spontaneous trip despite being sponsored.

The episodes at the center of the controversy aired Aug. 14 and Aug. 21.

In the broadcast, Jeon said he had found himself with 50 hours of free time amid a busy schedule and decided to take an impromptu trip. He showed up at the airport without any prior plans, saying, "I'm just going wherever the departure board takes me. I haven't decided on a destination. I want to throw myself into some unfamiliar place" — repeatedly emphasizing the spontaneous nature of the trip.

He ultimately settled on a one-night, two-day visit to Almaty, and things moved quickly from there.

He bought a plane ticket on the spot and flew to Kazakhstan, booking accommodation and a rental car through his smartphone. Jeon explained the car rental process, saying, "I should have applied for the rental car from Korea in advance and sent my passport and driver's license, but my internet cut out on the plane, so I sent everything as soon as I landed." He then drove roughly 290 kilometers to Kolsai Lakes.

The authenticity of the so-called impromptu trip has since stirred controversy online.

One internet user criticized the depiction of the car rental process as unrealistically simple — "like renting a car on Jeju Island" — and said that on a personal trip to Almaty over eight nights and 10 days in May, they had been required to have their driver's license separately notarized at either the local Almaty consulate or the Kazakhstani embassy in South Korea. Other users similarly said the rental process could not have been that straightforward, and raised the possibility that the trip had been sponsored by Kazakhstan's tourism authorities.

Another user questioned the fact that not only Jeon but also the production crew had managed to secure seats on the same flight on the spot, suggesting the trip had been arranged in advance rather than being truly unplanned.

In response to the allegations, users posted comments including, "If it's true they received sponsorship, it's no different from a hidden advertisement," and "Why would they deceive viewers just to put it on air?"

Others pushed back, however, noting that neither the staging nor the undisclosed sponsorship had been confirmed, and arguing that a degree of production direction is to be expected given the nature of the show.

paq@heraldcorp.com