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On February 2, 2023, the Korean Animal Welfare Association (KAWA) announced that staff members for KBS drama The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won have been charged with animal abuse after a horse died due to their negligence while filming a dangerous stunt scene.
Historical and political drama, The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won is helmed by Kim Hyung II and has been penned by Lee Jung-woo. It presents the story of Lee Bang-won, a leading figure who takes initiative and plays a proactive role in the founding of a new nation.
The incident, which happened during the filming of the drama in January 2022, has led to formal charges being filed against those involved, causing massive controversy among viewers and netizens.
Production team of The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won found guilty of violating the Animal Protection Act
At the filming site of The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won, the production team firmly tied a wire to the horse’s hind legs and let the animal run.
The horse ran at full speed, with an adult on its back. The team then intentionally pulled the string to which the horse was tied so that it would fall onto a group and fulfill the requirements of the scene.
Since several staff members were pulling the wire simultaneously, the horse sustained injuries when it fell, most notably wounding its neck. It died within a week of filming the stunt scene.
When the horse died, the Korean Animal Welfare Association officially filed a complaint against the production team of The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won for animal abuse, and the drama was forced to pause filming.
A few days after the unfortunate incident, KBS issued an apology letter, reading:
“Recently an unfortunate accident occurred during the filming of the drama, The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won. KBS is deeply aware of its responsibility for not protecting the life of an animal involved in the filming of the drama, and once again, we deeply apologize to the viewers and the public.”
The Korean Animal Welfare Association has found the broadcaster, the director, the martial arts director, and the manager of the horse rider team guilty of violating Animal Protection due to their negligence and lack of precautionary measures to save the horse. The charges were forwarded to the prosecution.
The production team of the drama has now been charged with animal abuse under Article 8, Paragraph 2, Item 4 of the Animal Protection Act under South Korean law. This was charged for causing physical pain and injury without justifiable grounds.
A fine has been imposed on broadcast corporation KBS under Article 46-2 of the Animal Protection Act to punish them for their negligence and lack of safety measures.
About The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won
Despite the controversy surrounding the drama, it did exceptionally well, achieving nationwide viewership rating of 11.5% for their final episode, which aired on May 1, 2022. The show featured notable actors Joo Sang-wook, Park Jin-hee, Ye Jin-won, and Kim Young-chul.
The drama also bagged three awards at the 2022 KBS Drama Awards held on December 31, 2022. Joo Sang-wook, the main actor, won the Grand Prize aka Daesang for his role in the drama. Meanwhile, Park Jin-hee won the Best Actress award and Ye Jin-won, the best supporting actress for their role in the drama.
