Following an outrage over animal maltreatment, Lee Bang-historical won’s drama series The King of Tears has been taken off the air for two weeks.
“Due to the ongoing issue, the two episodes slated to air this Saturday and Sunday will be cancelled,” a KBS official announced last Friday (Jan 21). According to The Korea Herald, special episodes of the drama for the forthcoming Korean New Year vacation in February will not be telecast.
A sequence in the seventh episode shown, depicting Yi Seong-gye, the founder of the Joseon Kingdom, accidently falling from a horse, sparked outrage. The horse was dragged to the ground by a rope attached around its legs in order to film the action.
The station was reported by the Korea Herald as stating, “We feel sincerely responsible and apologies for the mishap that occurred during shooting.” “The actor fell far from the horse during filming, and the animal’s upper body smacked the ground hard.”
The public fury over the act was unabated despite the apologies.
Last week, two online petitions were placed on the website of the South Korean presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, calling for an end to the series and animal safety standards in film and TV projects. As of Monday morning, the petitions had received over 63,000 and 137,000 signatures, respectively.
“I cannot believe that the public broadcaster KBS, which is funded by viewer fees, did not have clear safeguards or procedures for the protection of the animals,” one of the petitions stated, adding that animals being used as props was a previously reported concern.
South Korean celebrities have also voiced their surprise and outrage at the situation.
According to The Herald, the episode of the show that featured the sequence was no longer available on the series’ official website. The moment in question has been removed from the episode, which is still available on Wavve.
