By Jun Hyun Moo on “I Live Alone” (Credits: MBC)
The manipulation scandal surrounding MBC’s hit variety show “I Live Alone” is getting harder to explain away. An exclusive report by the Chosun Ilbo on October 16 revealed official documents showing that the production team had planned TV personality Jun Hyun Moo’s “spontaneous” trip to Kazakhstan down to the flight number and even the flow of conversations — weeks before cameras rolled.
According to the report, materials submitted by the Incheon International Airport Corporation to National Assembly member Kim Eun Hye’s office show that on July 22, the production team specifically named Jun Hyun Moo’s plan to fly to Kazakhstan when requesting filming permission at the airport.
The Flight, the Counter, the Script — All Planned
The official document named the Air Astana flight departing August 6 at 11:10 a.m. — the very flight Jun Hyun Moo boarded — and included plans to film the ticket issuance at the Air Astana counter and the departure scene itself.
More damning is the script submitted alongside the document. It contained detailed content showing Jun Hyun Moo saying, “I’ve been to China too many times; shall we try Kazakhstan?” and then calling actors Ku Sung Hwan and Lee Joo Seung to decide on the trip — largely matching the scenes aired on August 14, which were presented as Jun arriving at the airport with no plan and deciding on the spot.
The documents named no other travel candidates besides Kazakhstan, and filming consent from an airline was obtained solely from Air Astana.
Trust on the Line
Unlike the production team’s earlier explanation of merely preparing for the most likely destination, the evidence — a specific flight, scripted conversations, a single airline — suggests the “impromptu departure” was staged from the start. The documents alone do not confirm whether Jun Hyun Moo himself knew the destination in advance; the key question remains how closely the prepared scenarios matched the cast’s actual decisions.
Lawmaker Kim Eun Hye stressed that apart from variety-show entertainment value, a broadcaster’s trustworthiness with viewers is crucial, and criticized that the setup should have been frankly disclosed.
“I Live Alone,” which has already issued previous clarifications and apologies over the manipulation controversy, is now under renewed scrutiny — and all eyes are on how it will answer for the newly disclosed pre-script.
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Source: Koreaboo — read the full story there.
