3 KBS production staff members sentenced to fines over horse's death during drama shooting

This merged photo shows retired racehorse "Mariage" and her falling while shooting a scene of the drama, "The King of Tears, Lee Bangwon." Captured from Korea Racing Authority, KBS

A KBS TV producer and two other staff members at the public broadcaster were sentenced to ten million won ($7,438) in fines each Wednesday on charges of animal abuse over the 2021 death of a horse during the filming of a drama series.

The three were accused of tying up the horse's forelegs and making it sprint forward, leading the animal to fall flat on its face, while shooting a scene of the drama, "The King of Tears, Lee Bangwon," on Nov. 2, 2021.

The horse, which was left unattended without proper care, died five days later.

"The gravity of the crime is not light, taking into account the pain that the horse must have felt and the impact the case had on society after it was aired," the Seoul Southern District Court said.

There were other methods to shoot the scene, including having a stunt fall from a horse, or utilizing computer graphics instead, but the crew went ahead by knocking down the horse, citing unrealistic expressions or the high cost of other methods, the court added.

The court also sentenced the TV station to five million won in fines.

The court said, however, it also took into account the fact that the defendants followed the customary method of filming and they established a set of guidelines after the incident. (Yonhap)