Video capture provided by Animal Freedom CoalitionKBS apologized for the animal cruelty controversy in ‘Taejong Lee Bang-won’.
KBS made an official statement on the 20th and said, “I deeply feel responsible and apologize for the accident that occurred during the filming of ‘Taejong Lee Bang-won’. It happened in the middle of the day,” he said.
He continued, “Shooting a horse scene is very difficult. The safety of the horse is fundamental, and the safety of the actors riding on the horse and the safety of the filming staff must also be considered.” I went through the process of preparing and checking it,” explained the preparation process for filming.
However, an accident occurred and the horse eventually died.
KBS said, “Despite these efforts, during the actual filming, an actor fell far from the horse and the horse’s upper body hit the ground. Immediately following the accident, the horse got up on its own and following confirming that there were no apparent injuries, the horse returned. However, recently, the concern of viewers regarding the condition of the horse has grown, so we checked the health of the horse once more, but unfortunately, it was confirmed that the horse died regarding a week following filming.”
In addition, KBS promised to prevent recurrence of similar accidents in the future.
KBS bowed its head, saying, “We cannot but take a deep sense of responsibility for such an unfortunate incident. We apologize once more to the viewers for not being able to prevent an accident and an unfortunate incident.”
He continued, “Through this accident, KBS confirmed that there was a problem with the method of filming a camel. So, we will find other methods of filming and expression so that an accident like this does not happen once more. Also, the safety of animals at various filming sites. We will find a way to ensure this through the advice and cooperation of relevant organizations and experts,” he said.
In relation to the falling horse scene of Lee Seong-gye (Kim Young-cheol), which aired on the 1st, KBS 1TV’s historical drama ‘Taejong Lee Bang-won’ was caught up in a controversy over animal cruelty by tying a rope to the horse’s leg and shooting it in a way that made it plunge 90 degrees. The Animal Freedom Coalition sent an official letter to KBS to formally protest and foretell legal action, and viewers also strongly protested through a petition.