KBS Apologizes After Horse Dies From Injury On Set Of "The King Of Tears, Lee Bang Won"

KBS has issued an apology after an animal abuse controversy arose over a horse being injured on the set of “The King of Tears, Lee Bang Won.”

“The King of Tears, Lee Bang Won” is a traditional epic sageuk about King Taejong, born Lee Bang Won, who helped his father overthrow the Goryeo Dynasty and establish the Joseon Dynasty. A traditional epic sageuk is a historical drama that typically involves a large budget and cast, a long-running storyline, and depictions of real historical events and figures.

Viewers raised concerns with the Korean Animal Welfare Association (KAWA) over a potential animal abuse issue in a scene that aired in “The King of Tears, Lee Bang Won.” In the scene, actor Kim Young Chul‘s character, Lee Seong Gye, was thrown from his horse while riding. To create this scene, the horse was pulled to the ground using a rope tied around its legs.

On January 20, KBS issued the following statement:

We apologize.

Regarding the accident that occurred during filming for ‘The King of Tears, Lee Bang Won,’ we take grave responsibility and apologize.

The accident occurred during the November 2 filming of Lee Seong Gye’s fall from his horse that aired in episode 7.

It is very difficult to film a fall from a horse. The horse’s safety is fundamental, and we also have to consider the safety of the actor on the horse and the safety of the crew members filming the scene. Because of this, the production staff spent several days preparing for the scene in order to prevent any accidents from potentially occurring.

Despite this preparation, during the actual filming, an accident occurred in which the actor was thrown hard from the horse and the horse’s upper body struck the ground with great force. After the accident, the horse got up under its own power, and we checked to see that it had no external injuries before returning it. However, as viewers recently began to express concern for the horse’s current condition, we checked the horse’s condition again, and we regret to say that the horse died about a week after the filming occurred.

We cannot help but take serious responsibility for this unfortunate incident hat has occurred. We apologize to the viewers for not preventing this accident and causing such an unfortunate event.

Through this accident, KBS recognizes that there is a problem with the way that scenes of falling from a horse are filmed. In order to prevent such an incident from occurring again, we will find another way to film and portray these scenes. We will also cooperate with the advice of experts on how filming of various kinds can be safely conducted with animals on set.

We sincerely apologize once again to the viewers and those who love animals.

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