'Mina Kim from "I Live Alone" suspected of directing... Controversy over use of road view and generator'

After actor Kim Min revealed his life in an approximately 90-year-old old house in Dongducheon through MBC’s variety show ″I Live Alone,″ controversy arose regarding whether the broadcast was staged. In the episode aired on the 2nd, Kim Min showcased his unique lifestyle by using electricity generated from a generator at a friend’s house and personally repairing the floor with cement. He explained that the house belonged to a friend his family had known for a long time and that he used the place while traveling abroad. The broadcast showed a daily life different from typical celebrities, including scenes of grilling meat over a wood fire, eating a whole baguette, and teaching children as a hapkido instructor. Immediately after the broadcast, the nationwide household rating by Nielsen Korea rose to 6.0%, an increase of 2.5 percentage points from the previous episode, with the hapkido class scene peaking at 8.4%. Some viewers praised Kim Min’s unpretentious lifestyle. However, after the broadcast, a July 2026 Road View photo of a location claimed to be the same house appeared on online communities. Questions were raised about differences in the yard’s condition, structures, and space between the Road View photo and the broadcast footage, as well as why a generator was used despite the presence of utility poles around the house. Speculation also arose about the power supply method for appliances such as refrigerators. On the other hand, counterarguments pointed out that Kim Min did not introduce the house as his permanent residence, that he might have tidied the yard after the Road View was taken, and that the presence of utility poles does not necessarily guarantee electricity supply. Some also argued that suspicions of staging in a variety show were excessive. This controversy appears to have been influenced by recent criticism regarding the difference between impromptu travel and actual preparation in the Kazakhstan travel episode of ″I Live Alone.″ Kim Min has appeared in films such as ″The Outlaws 3,″ ″Smuggling,″ and ″Middle Realm,″ as well as dramas including ″Casino,″ ″Delivery Man,″ ″Killers’ Shopping Mall,″ ″Study Group,″ ″Fragmented City,″ and ″Four Hands.″