Broadcaster Jeon Hyun-moo [Yonhap]
Broadcaster Jeon Hyun-moo [Yonhap]

A restaurant owner in northern Gyeonggi Province turned away the crew of an unscripted food-discovery show hosted by broadcaster Jeon Hyun-moo, saying the attention that comes with a TV appearance would be more than he could manage.

The Friday episode of "Jeon Hyun-moo Plan 4," which airs on MBN and Channel S, followed Jeon, YouTuber Kwak Tube, and IVE members Gaeul and Liz as they searched for restaurants in northern Gyeonggi Province.

When the group visited a Western-style pork cutlet restaurant and asked to film, the owner refused outright. "We don't do filming. We have never filmed with anyone, no exceptions," he said.

Gaeul pleaded with him again, but the owner explained that at 74, it was simply too much. "If I go on TV even once for the evening service, I'm done. That's why I don't even open in the afternoon. I'm sorry — I really don't have the confidence," he said, asking for their understanding.

The cast ultimately turned and left. Kwak Tube said the visit had been too sudden on their part, while Jeon added, "The owner is 74 and says it's too hard — I understand."

"Jeon Hyun-moo Plan 4" is built around finding restaurants on the spot, without pre-arranging appearances. There have been allegations that venues are in fact lined up in advance, but the production team has denied this.

Jeon has faced similar allegations on MBC's variety show "I Live Alone," where he also promoted a segment as an impromptu trip. Last August, an episode showed him spontaneously deciding at Incheon Airport to travel to Kazakhstan — but questions arose over whether the trip had been scripted. The allegations rested on several points: a Kazakhstani government agency announced it had assisted with filming; it would have been difficult for a large crew to buy plane tickets on the spot; and a document the production team sent to Incheon Airport ahead of time requesting filming cooperation reportedly contained a script line reading "How about going to Kazakhstan?" The production team, however, stood firm that Jeon's decision to go to Kazakhstan was genuinely spontaneous.


paq@heraldcorp.com