AN animal cruelty scandal is brewing within the K-drama industry.
Earlier this week, a behind-the-scenes video went viral showing a stunt from the KBS period drama The King of Tears, Lee Bang Won.
During the filming of a scene involving a horse, the script required the actor to fall off the horse while it was at full gallop. In order to bring the scene to life, production staff tied wires to the horse’s legs and pulled on them to cause it to fall on purpose.
This resulted in the dramatic and heart-stopping image of the horse flipping forward onto its head, an act which also apparently caused injuries to the actor, who reportedly was not properly equipped for the stunt.
When the video was first revealed, concerned netizens were stunned by the graphic imagery, and launched petitions demanding to know the condition of the animal.
The matter soon came to the attention of KAWA, an animal rights and protection activist group. They posted a lengthy statement on their official Instagram to condemn the drama production team.
KBS finally gave an update on the situation on Jan 20. Sadly, they revealed that the horse had died about a week after the incident.
They posted a statement, which read: “We definitely feel deeply responsible for this unfortunate happening and we apologize to the viewers for not having been able to prevent the accident and causing such an unfortunate incident.
“Through this matter, we have confirmed that there is a problem with how we have been filming horse chasing scenes. In the future, we will try to find another way to film and express such scenes so that similar accidents do not happen. We will cooperate with professionals and groups for their advice so as to find a way to ensure animal safety on various sets.”
However, this is not the end of the situation, as animal rights advocates have been pointing out similar stunts involving horses seen in other recent period dramas, including The King’s Affection, and are calling for changes to be made in animals are treated while on set.
