Horse Died from Neck Injury... 'Taejong Yi Bang-won' Animal Abuse Case Sent to Prosecutors

"Media Changes Must Follow Animal Appearances"

Officials have been sent to the prosecution in connection with the animal abuse incident that occurred on the set of the KBS1 drama 'Taejong Yi Bang-won.'

According to the animal rights organization Kara on the 3rd, the director, stunt coordinator, horseback riding team manager of 'Taejong Yi Bang-won,' and KBS Korea Broadcasting were recently sent to the prosecution on charges of violating the Animal Protection Act.

The director, stunt coordinator, and horseback riding team manager face charges of animal abuse for causing physical pain or injury to animals without justifiable reason (Article 8, Paragraph 2, Subparagraph 4 of the Animal Protection Act), while KBS is charged under Article 46-2 of the Animal Protection Act, which imposes fines on corporations for violations committed by their agents.

Fell during horse fall scene filming... Neck broken, died within a week

[Photo by KBS1, screenshot from 'Taejong Yi Bang-won']

The issue arose in the 7th episode of the KBS1 drama 'Taejong Yi Bang-won,' which aired in January last year. During the filming of a horse fall scene, a wire was tied to the horse's hind legs to make it run, and then it was forcibly pulled at a designated spot to make the horse fall. The retired racehorse 'Kami' twisted its body 90 degrees and fell headfirst to the ground when the wire was pulled, breaking its neck. Kami died a week after the filming.

After Kami's death, footage from the filming site was released, sparking public outrage. The video showed Kami collapsed and in pain.

Animal Freedom Coalition issued a statement titled "Horses forcibly made to fall and collapse for drama filming, their safety and welfare are at risk," raising concerns about the filming methods. Kara and the Korea Animal Protection Union filed a police complaint against the production team for clear animal abuse and violation of the Animal Protection Act. Over 200,000 citizens signed a petition on the Blue House website, leading to a temporary suspension of the airing of 'Taejong Yi Bang-won.'

Subsequently, KBS apologized, stating, "We cannot help but feel a deep sense of responsibility for this unfortunate incident." They also said, "We sincerely apologize to viewers for failing to prevent the accident and the unfortunate event that occurred," suspending the on-demand service of episode 7 containing the horse fall scene and halting broadcasts for two weeks.

Kami was a young horse of 5 years old at the time of death. From November 2019 to August 2021, Kami was active as a racehorse named 'Mariage' but retired after the last race due to pulmonary hemorrhage, finishing last. It is known that no separate treatment was given for the pulmonary hemorrhage.

Kara stated, "Kami, born as a racehorse and used only as a running tool, was used as a prop in filming once its utility value disappeared, ultimately losing its life."

They added, "Animals must be safe on all broadcasting sets, including KBS. No animal has the right to be exploited by humans." They emphasized, "Such incidents must never happen again. Real changes must follow in media featuring animal appearances."