Controversy is growing as it is known that the horse, who was accused of abuse during the filming of "The King of Tears, Lee Bang Won", died a week after the scene was filmed.

KBS apologized for the controversy over animal abuse.

On January 20th, KBS said, "We deeply feel responsible and apologize for the accident that occurred while filming "The King of Tears, Lee Bang Won". The accident occurred on November 2, while filming the scene of Lee Seong Gye's fall from the horse, which was aired on the 7th episode of "The King of Tears, Lee Bang Won" in their official statement.

They then continued to explain, “Filming a falling scene is a very difficult shoot. This is because the horse’s safety is considered the basic and the safety of the actor on the horse as well as the staff filming it must also be considered. For this reason, the production team has been preparing and checking for possible accidents since a few days ago.”

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“Despite these efforts, however, an accident occurred in which the actor fell far from the horse and the horse’s upper body hit the ground. Immediately after the accident, the horse woke up on its own and after we confirmed that there was no apparent injury, we sent the horse back. However, recently, there are many viewers who are worried about the horse’s condition, due to which we checked the horse’s health again, and unfortunately, it’s confirmed that the horse died about a week after the filming,” they said.

KBS apologized again, saying, “We have no choice but to take deep responsibility for the unfortunate occurrence. We would like to apologize again to the viewers for failing to prevent the accident and the unfortunate thing that had happened.”

A KBS representative said, “Through this accident, it was confirmed that there was a problem with the method of filming a fall from a horse. Therefore, we will try to find other ways of filming and expressing so that such accidents do not happen again. In addition, we will find ways to ensure animals’ safety at filming sites through advice and cooperation from related organizations and experts. Once again, we sincerely apologize to viewers and those who love animals.”

Earlier, the Korean Animal Welfare Association claimed in a statement on January 19th that “The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won” had abused horses during filming.

Source[1]

NewJeans' Minji touched fans' hearts with a handwritten letter on her birthday — even while the group is currently unable to promote due to legal issues.

On May 7, Minji celebrated her birthday by sharing a heartfelt message on the group’s personal SNS account, which the members opened themselves to stay connected with fans.

Minji began her letter with honesty, writing, “I think I’m living a busier life than I expected. When I finally looked up, it was already May, and it was my birthday.”

She admitted that she had a lot she wanted to say, but her thoughts felt “messy.” Still, her message to fans was clear, “I just hope that I, our members, and Bunnies can all be happy. Happiness is the biggest goal in my life.”

Minji then opened up about her personal journey and struggles, saying, “I sometimes think that running toward my happiness by doing what I love might look foolish to others. But isn’t giving up your happiness now for the sake of a future that might not even come… too harsh on yourself?”

Despite everything, she ended on a hopeful note, “I really miss the times when we shared our feelings through the good music we made together. But I always look forward to what’s ahead."

She added, "We didn’t stop here, and we’re not going to stop! It might look like we’re standing still, but I believe we’re growing deeper.”

Her message comes during a difficult time for NewJeans. The group announced last year that they were cutting ties with ADOR, their original agency, after trust was broken. They later began working independently under the new name ‘NJZ’.

However, ADOR responded with legal action — claiming the exclusive contract with NewJeans was still valid and asking the court to stop the group from promoting or signing deals.

The court sided with ADOR and granted an injunction, forcing NewJeans to pause their activities. Their appeal was rejected, and they’ve now filed a second appeal.

Through it all, Minji’s message proves one thing — even when forced to stop, NewJeans' hearts are still moving forward.

Source: [1]