I Live Alone stays in the 5% ratings range for second week after production controversy and repeated apologies

MBC’s I Live Alone has remained in the 5% ratings range for a second consecutive week following controversy over how a recent Kazakhstan trip was presented to viewers.

According to Nielsen Korea, the September 4 episode of I Live Alone recorded a nationwide rating of 5.2%.

The figure was slightly higher than the 5.1% recorded by the August 28 episode, an increase of 0.1 percentage points. However, the program has yet to return to the 6.5% rating achieved by its August 21 broadcast.

Attention has been focused on the show’s ratings following criticism surrounding episodes that presented Jun Hyun Moo’s Kazakhstan trip as spontaneous.

After the broadcasts, viewers raised questions about parts of the trip, including the rental car and ticketing process. Almaty city officials also reportedly confirmed that filming cooperation had been provided, leading some viewers to question how spontaneous the trip actually was.

The I Live Alone production team initially stated, “We did not receive filming support or sponsorship related to this Kazakhstan trip.”

Several days later, the team clarified that there had been no financial sponsorship or production funding from the Almaty tourism authorities, but acknowledged receiving administrative and on-site filming assistance.

Ahead of the September 4 broadcast, the production team issued another statement and admitted that staff flight tickets had been booked in advance and local filming cooperation had been requested beforehand.

The team explained, “It is true that we booked the staff’s flights to Kazakhstan in advance and requested local filming cooperation so we could respond within the limited filming schedule.”

It added that the tickets could have been canceled if the trip changed, but acknowledged that emphasizing the trip as “spontaneous” meant the program did not properly explain the preparations made before filming. The production team apologized over the presentation and also addressed concerns raised about local driving regulations.

Following the controversy, I Live Alone fell from 6.5% to 5.1%. The latest 5.2% represents a small recovery of 0.1 percentage points, but the show has now remained in the 5% range for two straight weeks.

The September 4 episode included Kim Shin Young opening a pop-up store in Shibuya, Japan, as part of her interest in clothing and fashion redesign.