Staff member at jump platform appears to lack fall-prevention equipment

Controversy over Jeon Hyun-moo's 'impromptu trip' segment flares up again

MBC's "I Live Alone" [MBC]
MBC's "I Live Alone" [MBC]

MBC's variety show "I Live Alone" is facing fresh controversy over whether a staff member at a bungee jump site was wearing proper safety equipment during a segment featuring actor Gu Seong-hwan.

A viewer filed a complaint with the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Monday, calling for an investigation into the safety measures at the filming location.

In the episode that aired Friday, Gu went riding with a friend born in 2006 whom he had met at a motorcycle licensing center earlier this year, before the two visited a bungee jump site. Gu, who had failed to jump on two previous attempts, successfully completed the bungee jump on his third try that day.

The day after the broadcast, on Saturday, a social media user pointed out that a staff member on the jump platform appeared to be stepping on and releasing the bungee cord without wearing a safety harness designed for work at heights. While Gu was shown wearing safety equipment in the broadcast footage, no fall-prevention device was clearly visible on the staff member managing the cord. The footage also showed the staff member stepping toward the edge of the platform and looking down immediately after Gu jumped. Some viewers expressed concern that if a visitor grabbed the staff member or the cord became tangled around their feet, a fatal fall could result.

In response, a post appeared on an online community stating that the user had submitted an industrial safety complaint through the government's public petition portal. The author said the complaint had been assigned to the industrial accident prevention and inspection division of the Gangwon branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor's Central Regional Office. The complaint called on authorities to identify the filming location, the facility operator and the employment relationship of the on-site staff, and to investigate whether the operator had fulfilled safety obligations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Items flagged for inspection included whether safety helmets and harnesses were worn, the availability of harness anchor points, and whether the platform had safety railings and fall-prevention netting. It could not be confirmed whether the relevant authorities had actually launched an investigation.

Under the rules on occupational safety and health standards, employers are required to take fall-prevention measures — including work platforms, fall-arrest nets and safety harnesses — at locations where workers face a risk of falling. Where workers at heights of 2 meters or more are required to wear safety harnesses, employers must also provide anchor points to which the harnesses can be attached. Some observers noted, however, that since safety management at bungee jump facilities is the operator's responsibility, holding the production team accountable would be excessive. It was also acknowledged that the broadcast footage alone makes it difficult to determine definitively whether the staff member was in fact wearing any equipment.

"I Live Alone" has faced a string of controversies in recent months. The furor over Jeon Hyun-moo's Kazakhstan travel segment, which aired in two parts on Aug. 14 and Aug. 21, continues to this day. Jeon had headed to Incheon International Airport during a 29-hour break and, according to the show, decided on the spot after seeing the departures board to fly to Almaty. The production team presented the trip as an "impromptu journey."

After the episodes aired, questions emerged over whether a car could be rented in Kazakhstan using only an international driver's license — local rules reportedly require additional notarization. It also came to light that the Kazakhstan government's website and local media had described the filming as having been conducted with support from the Almaty city tourism bureau. Reports also surfaced suggesting the production team had booked staff airline tickets in advance.

In its first statement on Aug. 25, the production team said it had not received any filming support or sponsorship. In a second statement on Aug. 31, it acknowledged receiving logistical cooperation from the Almaty city tourism bureau for administrative procedures and on-site coordination, while maintaining there had been no financial sponsorship or production funding. In a third statement on Sept. 4, the team apologized and acknowledged that staff airline tickets had been booked in advance and that filming cooperation had been arranged ahead of time. It cited concern that disclosing such details would undermine the sense of reality and immersion expected of a reality program as the reason for the delayed response.

According to documents obtained Friday from Incheon International Airport Corp. by the office of People Power Party lawmaker Kim Eun-hye of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, MBC applied to the airport operator on July 22 for permission to film "I Live Alone" at Incheon airport. The application specified plans to film ticketing and departure scenes at Terminal 1's departures hall and the Air Astana check-in counter from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 6, and listed a flight departing at 11:10 a.m.

A scenario submitted alongside the application included a stage direction describing Jeon as "arriving at Incheon airport on impulse," a line of dialogue reading "I've been to China too many times — maybe I should try Kazakhstan," and a plot point in which Jeon calls cast members Gu Seong-hwan and Lee Ju-seung before deciding to fly to Kazakhstan. The submitted documents included only a filming consent form from Air Astana's Korea office; there were no cooperation records involving any other airline or destination. Jeon did in fact depart on that flight. Lawmaker Kim said making viewers laugh is the role of entertainment, but maintaining viewer trust is a matter of broadcaster responsibility.

MBC issued a fourth statement the same day, saying the document was merely a production outline prepared to explain the filming situation to the airport, not a script that predetermined the content of the broadcast. The production team said the outline had not been shared with the cast and that Jeon had no knowledge of its contents. The bungee jump episode featuring Gu aired that Friday night, the same day the documents were made public.

The controversies keep coming. The Oct. 2 episode featuring actor Kim Min's life in an old house in Dongducheon drew allegations that the setting had been staged for filming. Kim said on Oct. 6, "There really was no fabrication or staging." The production team said on Oct. 7 that the house is Kim's actual residence and that nothing had been separately prepared or staged for the shoot.


shee@heraldcorp.com