“The King of Tears, Lee Bang Won” production team was handed over to trial without detention on charges of abusing horses during filming.
On July 6th, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor’s Office indicted three individuals, including producer Kim in his 50s, on charges of violating the Animal Protection Act. Broadcasting company KBS was also indicted on the same charges under a joint liability provision.
Producer Kim and two others allegedly tied the front legs of a horse with a rope and intentionally made the horse stumble and fall to the ground during the drama filming on November 2nd, 2021. They were also accused of neglecting to provide appropriate treatment for the horse (violation of the Animal Protection Act).
The horse named “Kkami” suffered a serious injury and died on November 7th, just a few days after the filming. This incident sparked public outrage among viewers as soon as it was reported.
Under the Animal Protection Act, causing physical pain or injury to an animal without justifiable reasons is considered animal abuse and strictly prohibited. The controversial filming scene in episode 7 of “The King of Tears, Lee Bang Won” was aired on January 1st last year.
After the broadcast, video footage from the filming site showing the horse with legs being tied being forcibly knocked down aroused public attention, sparking a social controversy and leading to a strong protest from animal protection organizations.
At that time, an animal protection organization issued a press release stating, “The horse Kkami was left on the ground for a considerable period after the great shock and showed no signs of movement. It was clearly an animal abuse case, a violation of Article 8 of the Animal Protection Act.”
As the controversy intensified, KBS released an official statement, saying “We deeply feel responsible for the incident”, adding “We’ve prepared new production guidelines to ensure the safety of animals in order to improve awareness of life ethics and animal welfare and prevent such accidents from occurring again in the production of dramas and programs.”
Despite KBS’s apology, animal protection organizations filed a complaint against the drama production team in January last year for violating of the Animal Protection Act. The police sent the case to the prosecutor’s office in January this year.
Source: Wikitree
