News anchor slams MBC's 'I Live Alone' over Kazakhstan trip, calls explanation 'dishonest'

Anchor posts screenshot showing 8 tickets to Almaty unavailable on day of filming

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

Kim Jin, a prominent anchor at cable channel Channel A, has criticized the production team of MBC's "I Live Alone" over its response to a controversy surrounding an allegedly impromptu trip to Kazakhstan, calling the explanation "dishonest."

Kim posted a screenshot to her personal social media account Tuesday showing the results of a flight search to Almaty, Kazakhstan.

[Screenshot from the MBC 'I Live Alone' website]

The screenshot showed a search for eight seats on flights to Almaty covering Tuesday through Friday, returning the message: "There are no flights available for booking under the selected conditions."

"Eight tickets to Almaty, Kazakhstan — including crew — could not be booked on the day," Kim wrote.

She then publicly called out the show's production team, writing: "They secured filming cooperation from Almaty in advance, then made it look like a spontaneous trip — even renting a car on the spot. Both the explanation and the broadcast are dishonest, MBC's 'I Live Alone.'"

On Monday, the "I Live Alone" production team posted a statement titled "Notice Regarding Kazakhstan Filming" on the show's official website, saying it had not received any financial sponsorship or production funding from the Almaty City Tourism Bureau.

The team added that "administrative procedures required for local filming and on-site coordination were provided, allowing the production to proceed smoothly."

In the episode that aired Aug. 14, broadcaster Jeon Hyun-moo was shown arriving at Incheon International Airport without a destination in mind, then deciding on the spot to fly to Almaty, Kazakhstan. The episode also showed him renting a car upon arrival and continuing his trip.

After the episode aired, controversy erupted over allegations of staging. Viewers pointed out that driving in Kazakhstan with a South Korean international driver's license requires advance notarization, and that a same-day impromptu trip with a full crew — including camera operators and producers — would be practically impossible.

YouTuber Lee Jin-ho addressed the issue on his channel, claiming the trip was staged. He said the production team had floated the idea of an "impromptu trip" about a week in advance and that Kazakhstan had been chosen as the destination beforehand. "The part where Jeon looks at the departures board and spontaneously books a ticket — that was staged," he said.

Lee added that while Jeon could theoretically book a last-minute ticket if traveling alone, the logistics made that impossible with a full crew. "A producer, writer, camera director and sound director all had to come along — how would they get tickets?" he said. "So of course the crew's tickets were prepared a week in advance. Whether viewers consider this fabrication or just production — that's for them to decide."

jshan@heraldcorp.com