Reports stated that the "I-LAND" cast sustained injuries. A trainee and a staff member were reportedly hurt and wounded while filming on June 15.
A source informed sports Chosun, "The on-set platform was unstable and built poorly that even qualified professional performers may have slipped and hurt. Mostly during board discussions, issues about the safety operation were brought up but they tried to push through with it. One staff member fell off the stage and bled three days before the filming but no follow-up action has been taken.
The source added, "One of the trainees broke his arm the day of the filming and was rushed to the emergency unit, so he couldn't even feature on the series. Security steps weren't really implemented even after all that, and the stage was changed just slightly. I assume that if the existing workforce is not enough, then the scale of the program must be reduced to suit that, or even more, workers must be recruited."
Mnet then responded to the source's claims and refuted that they were trying to cover up this blunder.
Mnet said, "It is completely accurate that on-set fatalities actually occurred. However, it is not true that we were attempting to hide them. We have taken decisive steps and are proceeding to report since implementing improved on-set protection measures."
They added, We initially planned also to have 24 trainees for the TV series, but during the first filming, one trainee had a fracture and was unable to take an active part in the taping anymore. We are addressing the help steps that we should provide with trainee company BELIF+. The staff member suffered a minor injury, and we have taken appropriate measures."
"I-LAND" is a survival show that will showcase the development of K-pop stars of the next generation. It is a BELIF+ initiative, a joint-venture with CJ ENM and Big Hit Entertainment.
CJ ENM and Big Hit confirmed on March 11 that they set up a partnership named BELIFT LAB to accomplish their target of launching a new international K-pop band in 2020, to be produced by Bang Si Hyuk.
BELIFT LAB, which was constructed with 7 billion won capital stocks (around $6,164,865), started opening auditions across several countries on March 30, including Korea, the United States, and Japan.
BELIFT LAB CEO Kim Tae Ho told reporters, "The biggest component of our company is entertainment and media based on IP (Intellectual Property Rights) material. Since it's a partnership between both the best content in the country and media corporations, we'll be showing results that meet consumer expectations."
