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

MBC's variety show "I Live Alone" has fallen from fifth to 10th place in a monthly brand reputation ranking for entertainment programs, amid allegations that broadcaster Jeon Hyun-moo's trip was staged as a spontaneous journey.

According to the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute's September entertainment program brand reputation analysis, released Sunday, "I Live Alone" dropped to 10th place this month after ranking fifth in August.

MBC's "Hangout with Yoo" claimed the top spot, rising from third place last month. SBS's My Little Old Boy and tvN's "You Quiz on the Block" followed in second and third.

"I Live Alone" became embroiled in a staging controversy after episodes that aired Aug. 14 and 21 depicted Jeon's trip to Almaty, Kazakhstan, as a spontaneous decision — even though the production team had allegedly prepared for it in advance.

The allegations were fueled by several details: Jeon rented a car just 40 minutes after landing without going through the translation and notarization of his Korean driver's license required under local law, and it was considered implausible that a large film crew could have secured flights and accommodations on the spot without prior planning. Questions also arose over whether the show had received support from the Kazakhstani government to promote tourism.

The production team's response only deepened the controversy. Despite the Kazakhstan Tourism Authority stating on its website that it had provided filming support, the team initially denied receiving any assistance from the Kazakhstani side, then reversed course, saying there had been no financial support but that it had received cooperation from the Almaty city tourism office.

As criticism mounted, the production team issued a further explanation: Jeon's decision to travel to Kazakhstan was made spontaneously, but the crew had reviewed various circumstances in advance, anticipated he would choose Kazakhstan as his destination, pre-purchased staff airline tickets and arranged for local filming cooperation ahead of time. Many viewers remain unconvinced by the claim that the team had predicted Jeon would pick Kazakhstan before he made the decision.

The brand reputation survey analyzed about 66.15 million big data items related to 50 entertainment program brands from Aug. 6 to Sunday.


paq@heraldcorp.com