60,000 Petition to Stop Airing 'Taejong Yi Bang-won'... Criticism from Politics and Entertainment Sectors

Yoon Seok-yeol and Ahn Cheol-soo: "Nothing Is More Important Than Life"

Animal protection organizations including the Korea Animal Protection Alliance held a press conference condemning animal abuse in the drama "Taejong Yi Bang-won" in front of the KBS main building in Yeouido on the 21st. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] As demands to suspend the airing of the KBS drama 'Taejong Yi Bang-won' amid animal abuse controversy are growing, voices of concern about animal abuse on broadcast filming sets have also emerged from the political and entertainment circles.

On the 20th, a petition titled "Stop the serialization of dramas that treat animals as props for broadcast filming and punish them" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board, gaining over 63,000 supporters as of 8 a.m. on the 24th.

The petitioner stated, "To film a horse falling scene, the horse was forcibly hung by a wire, causing its body to be lifted at a 90-degree angle and it fell headfirst to the ground, lying motionless alone for a long time," and demanded, "Stop the serialization of dramas that treat animals as props for even a one-second cut and punish them."

Earlier, the animal protection group Animal Freedom Union released behind-the-scenes footage of the horse falling scene in Taejong Yi Bang-won on the 19th, raising suspicions of animal abuse. The video showed the horse’s legs tied with wires, and as the wire was pulled, the horse fell heavily forward. It was reported that the horse died a week after filming.

In episode 7 of the KBS drama 'Taejong Yi Bang-won,' a horse-riding scene was criticized for animal abuse. Photo by KBS

Political and broadcasting figures also expressed concerns over the controversy.

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, wrote on his Facebook, "If there were excessive practices such as forcibly tying a rope to a horse’s leg to make it fall, this opportunity should be used to improve and create an advanced filming environment," adding, "Nothing is more important than life." He further stated, "I hope the public broadcaster puts more effort into creating a safe production environment for both people and animals."

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, also emphasized on Facebook, "Watching the tragic death of the horse," and said, "Animals are lives, not props."

Opera singer Jo Sumi said on Instagram, "Through this incident, guidelines for animal appearances on broadcasts should be created and applied to all broadcast appearances," and added, "Any form of exploitation or death of animals should be strongly punished by law."

She continued, "Oscar Wilde said, 'A person who is cruel to animals will also be cruel to other people, and you can know a person’s character by how they treat animals,'" and shared, "I cannot shake the thought that this is a wise saying reflecting what I have experienced in life."

Actor Yoo Yeon-seok also wrote on Instagram, "There should be no more filming sites where animals are sacrificed due to money and time pressures," and added, "The safety of action actors must also be guaranteed."

Meanwhile, as public criticism spread, KBS announced the cancellation of episodes 13 and 14 of the drama scheduled to air on the 22nd and 23rd, as well as the cancellation of broadcasts on the 29th and 30th. KBS also suspended the on-demand service of episode 7, which contained the problematic horse falling scene.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.