Horse used in controversial scene in KBS drama dies

This scene from KBS's “The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won” shows the horse tripping after staff pulled on wires that were tied to its front two feet. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The horse used in KBS’s ongoing historical drama series “The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won” has died, KBS said in a statement Thursday.

KBS has been facing backlash after footage began circulating showing the horse and an actor riding it fall to the ground. Wires had been tied to the horse's legs and were pulled when it started running to make it fall.

KBS apologized after viewers and the Korean Animal Welfare Association alleged that the broadcaster had abused the horse.

While KBS stated that it took precautions for the safety of the horse, the actor and the crew members, it was unable to prevent “an accident where the actor fell farther from the horse and the horse’s upper body hit the ground harder than they had anticipated.”

“After the accident, we checked and confirmed that the horse did not have any apparent injuries,” the statement reads. “However, recently viewers expressed their concerns for the horse’s condition [...] and we regret to tell you that the horse died about one week after filming.”

On Monday, the Korean Animal Welfare Association took to social media to voice its concern about the serious injuries that could have been inflicted on the horse because of the scene. The association urged KBS to reveal the footage of the original scene, stating that both the horse and the actor were obviously put in a highly dangerous situation.

A petition was uploaded to the Viewers’ Rights Center noticeboard on KBS’s website the same day. As of Friday, there are a number of petitions demanding that the show be canceled.

“We deeply apologize to viewers for causing such an unfortunate accident,” KBS said. “KBS understands how shooting the [particular] scene was problematic and we will find a different way to film such scenes so that an incident like this never happens again. We will also put the safety of animals first by seeking advice from related organizations and experts.”

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]