[Exclusive] Three Years After "Taejong Lee Bangwon" Kami's Death... Government Drafted Guidelines But Has Yet to Release Them

Draft Guidelines for Animal Filming Completed in June 2022
Only Three Animal Organizations Included in Consultative Body... Process Effectively Halted

In episode 7 of the KBS drama "Taejong Lee Bangwon," there is a scene where Lee Seonggye falls from his horse. Kami, whose foot is tied with a rope, is forced to fall headfirst. Screenshot from "Taejong Lee Bangwon"

In November 2021, a horse died after collapsing on the set of the KBS historical drama "Taejong Lee Bangwon." The horse used for filming at that time was a retired racehorse named Kami (real name: Mariage). For a scene in which the main character, Lee Seonggye, falls from his horse, the production team tied a wire to Kami's leg, made the horse run, and then pulled the wire to forcibly trip the animal. The horse suffered a severe blow to the head upon hitting the ground, endured pain for more than three days, and died after five days. At the time, Kami was only five years old.

Two months later, when footage of the filming was released, it sparked widespread public outrage. More than 200,000 people participated in a national petition, and celebrities such as Taeyeon from Girls' Generation, actor Yoo Yeonseok, and soprano Jo Sumi also joined in the criticism. The so-called "Kami incident" ignited heated discussions on the KBS viewer message board and various social networking services (SNS). Ultimately, KBS suspended the replay of the relevant episode and halted the program for a month.

Animal protection organizations filed complaints with the police, and over 100 organizations held a joint press conference to criticize KBS's overall practices regarding animal filming. There were also reports that similar filming methods had been repeatedly used in other historical dramas, such as "Tears of the Dragon" (1996), "Jeong Dojeon" (2014), and "The King's Affection" (2021). In response to this incident, the so-called "Kami Act" was proposed in the National Assembly, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced in January 2022 that it would establish guidelines for animal filming.

According to this newspaper's coverage on July 15, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food formed a public-private consultative body in February of the same year, including representatives from the government, broadcasting and film industries, and animal protection organizations, to begin developing the guidelines. However, only three animal organizations were included, and the group was largely composed of media industry representatives. In June, a draft of the "Guidelines for Animals Appearing in Media" was completed. The draft included compliance requirements for filming, precautions by animal type, and directions for institutional improvements in connection with the Animal Protection Act.

However, this draft has still not been made public. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has not provided any explanation regarding the schedule for releasing the draft or the reasons for the delay. In effect, the draft has been abandoned.

A participant in the consultative body said, "The draft was created based on a consensus that at least this much should be followed, but it has never been announced," adding, "It appears that the decision was made based on political logic rather than policy." Another official criticized, "The government was overly concerned about public opinion and simply watched the situation until it fizzled out." On filming sets, complaints persist that "we cannot comply because there are no guidelines."

Animal protection organizations including the Korea Animal Protection Association held a press conference in front of the KBS main building in Yeouido in January 2022 to condemn animal abuse in the drama "Taejong Lee Bangwon." Participants are dressed as horses and reenacting the situation at that time. Photo by Yonhap News

In January 2024, three members of the "Taejong Lee Bangwon" production team were each fined 10 million won for animal abuse, and the broadcaster was fined 5 million won. The court ruled, "Choosing to make an animal fall cannot be justified simply because it is believed the scene lacks realism."

In the meantime, the private sector has been filling the gap. The animal rights group Kara launched the "Animal Appearance Media Monitoring Headquarters" in 2023 and established its own standards. Since last year, it has been conducting a comprehensive investigation of over 300 films and dramas to track the status of animal filming practices.

Immediately after Kami's death, the government stated, "We will do our best to establish a system so that filming sites do not become blind spots for animal welfare," but that promise has not been kept even three years later.

Cho Heekyung, head of the Korean Animal Welfare Association, said, "Animals appearing in media are still treated as industrial tools, and the government does not seem to have the will to solve this problem," adding, "Institutionalization must begin with the establishment of guidelines." She continued, "It is regrettable that there are still no standards for an issue involving life after several years," emphasizing, "The government needs to respond responsibly."