Following a Kazakhstan travel controversy, MBC variety show I Live Alone recorded a 5.2 percent nationwide household rating on September 4. This modest rebound follows an official production apology and a netizen filing over a disputed rental car reservation screen shown on the program.
The controversy surrounding the MBC variety program I Live Alone centered on a spontaneous trip to Almaty, Kazakhstan, undertaken by Jun Hyun-moo. Questions emerged regarding whether the trip was truly an unplanned journey or if the production team had arranged local assistance and preparations beforehand. In response to the growing backlash, the production team released a detailed statement addressing the filming process and issuing an apology to viewers.
Production Apology and the Ratings Rebound
According to data released by Nielsen Korea on September 5, the September 4 broadcast of I Live Alone captured a 5.2 percent nationwide household rating. That figure marked a 0.1 percentage-point increase from the 5.1 percent recorded by the previous episode on August 28. Even with the slight uptick, viewership remained below the 6.5 percent rating recorded on August 21, before the controversy began to spread in earnest.
Before the September 4 broadcast, the production team issued an explanation detailing how the journey came together. The statement noted that Jun Hyun-moo had not chosen a destination or secured flight tickets ahead of time, opting instead to pick his travel location on the day of departure. At the same time, the team acknowledged preparing for potential overseas shoots by checking filming conditions across multiple countries and arranging local support and rental vehicles to ensure safe production.
The production team apologized for confusing viewers by failing to sufficiently explain these production processes on the program.
Rental Car Discrepancies and Netizen Scrutiny
Even after the production apology, public skepticism persisted regarding specific details shown on screen. On September 6, a netizen announced via an online community that they had submitted a supplementary opinion to the Broadcast Media Communications Review Committee and filed a formal complaint through the National Petition System.
The complaint focused on the rental car reservation screen displayed during the episode. According to the broadcast timeline, the flight carrying Jun Hyun-moo departed Incheon International Airport at 11:10 a.m. on August 6, with an estimated flight duration of approximately seven hours. Factoring in the time zone difference, the expected arrival in Almaty would fall around 2:10 p.m. local time that same afternoon.
However, the reservation interface shown on television displayed a rental start time of 9:08 a.m., creating a chronological mismatch. Furthermore, the screen indicated a total rental span of 48 hours running from 9:08 a.m. on August 6 to 9:08 a.m. on August 8, whereas the program framed the journey as a 29-hour trip spanning one night and two days.
The complainant submitted an opinion stating the need to verify how the rental car usage period shown on the broadcast differed from the actual vehicle usage schedule.
Unresolved Scheduling Questions and Verification Limits
Complainants and online observers pointed out that the vehicle reservation period began before the flight even lifted off from Incheon or before the aircraft touched down in Kazakhstan. Critics questioned whether the footage reflected an authentic, impromptu arrangement or a reconstructed sequence.
Despite the petitions and public scrutiny, it remains unconfirmed whether the timestamps on the broadcast screen represented actual vehicle pickup and return times or merely tentative reservation placeholders set during booking. Without definitive confirmation of when the car was physically collected, establishing a firm timeline of the production remains difficult.
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