The production team of MBC's "I Live Alone" has finally issued an apology over the "manipulated production" controversy surrounding broadcaster Jun Hyun-moo's trip to Kazakhstan.

On the 4th, the production team posted an official statement on their website, saying, "We sincerely apologize for the delay in expressing our detailed position. Due to the nature of reality programs, we hesitated to share the detailed production process with viewers out of concern that it might undermine the sense of reality, which is the foundation of the program, and disrupt immersion, which is why we were unable to release a prompt statement." They detailed the suspicions raised during the production of Jun Hyun-moo's Kazakhstan travel segment and conveyed their apologies.

The production team explained, "Jun Hyun-moo's trip to Kazakhstan followed a format where the production team tagged along with Jun, who usually enjoys impromptu travel. The 'impromptu travel' expressed in the broadcast meant that Jun decided on a destination and left on the day of departure without determining the destination or booking air tickets in advance," emphasizing that Jun's choice was indeed spontaneous.

However, they clarified, "To prepare for the possibility of overseas filming, the production team reviewed flight schedules and filming conditions in advance. We looked into several possibilities focusing on short-distance countries accessible within a limited time, and judged that Kazakhstan was a high probability choice given the travel destinations Jun usually showed interest in and the flight conditions at the time." They added, "Accordingly, in case Kazakhstan was chosen, we booked staff flight tickets in advance and requested local filming cooperation so that we could immediately respond to shooting. We planned to cancel the staff tickets if Jun chose a different destination on the day or failed to secure a flight to Kazakhstan, and naturally capture any unexpected situations arising in the process as part of the journey."

They repeatedly emphasized, "Jun Hyun-moo checked available flights departing from the airport on the day and directly purchased his ticket to Kazakhstan on-site." They apologized, saying, "However, while emphasizing the term 'impromptu travel' in the broadcast, we failed to fully consider that the entire travel and filming process could be perceived as having taken place without any prior preparation."

Regarding the controversy over support from the Almaty Tourism Department, the production team stated, "The production team received administrative procedures and filming cooperation for local execution necessary for overseas filming from the Almaty Tourism Department. Our previous stance that 'there was no support' meant there was no financial sponsorship or production cost support, but since this expression could be interpreted as meaning there was no administrative or filming cooperation locally at all, we are providing this supplementary explanation. We apologize for causing confusion by failing to provide sufficient explanation in this process."

Concerning the rental car driving, which drew the heaviest criticism, they admitted, "Jun Hyun-moo personally reserved the vehicle at Incheon International Airport, and upon arrival, submitted copies of his passport and international driving permit following the instructions of the rental car company to take delivery. However, after receiving criticism regarding missing relevant documents following the broadcast, we checked through the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Kazakhstan and belatedly realized that renting a vehicle in Kazakhstan requires a notarization procedure from the Embassy of Kazakhstan in South Korea." They acknowledged, "It was the negligence of the production team for failing to thoroughly check local regulations."

Finally, the production team bowed their heads, stating, "'I Live Alone' has placed its highest value on delivering the daily lives of its cast members as genuinely as possible. Nevertheless, in this broadcast, biased by the judgment that we should not damage the program's realism and immersion, we failed to sufficiently explain the actual filming process. As a result, we caused misunderstanding and confusion to viewers, and failed to promptly and clearly explain the suspicions raised afterward. We sincerely apologize for our inadequate judgment and response." They added, "We will heavily accept the criticisms and rebukes sent to us. Returning to our original intent, we will look back at our production methods and attitude from square one and produce the broadcast with much greater care."

(Photo: SBS Entertainment News)