The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won

Firstly, the low ratings are due to the death of a horse on set. Focusing only on the show, it is one of my all-time favourite non-romance historical k-drama. The show is paced wonderfully, not too slow and not too fast. It also makes the various titles and ceremonies involved easy to understand and remember. Unlike most other historical k-dramas, the acting is not too over-the-top that it feels unreal. The actors do a very good job of making the scenes real, engrossing and believable. All events depicted in the series are also almost completely accurate (the places, people and decisions shown are accurate, while the dialogues are obviously fictional). As a bonus, the series also shows the buildings depicted in the series which have survived to this day in the end-credits.

The show overall is tasteless. It's not only tasteless but they killed a horse while filming. Absolutely terrible. Whoever came up with the idea to tie the horse should get fired and should go to jail for animal cruelty. Disgusting.

I don't think this show deserves to see the light of day. It wasn't worth the animal abuse that they condoned for a short shot in the show. Not only did they tie a real horse up and force it to land on its head, but the horse unfortunately died shortly after. If you're considering watching this show... don't. No show is worth the torture and death of an animal, especially not this one. There are many dramas that follow this unoriginal plot like this one that don't partake in cruelty like this.

I hope this show gets cancelled, and they people behind this suffer the consequences.

I totally agree with rkpmthk's observation. I really wanted to see this and I started watching it at a Korean friend's place - couldn't continue. Animal cruelty is the most abhorrent thing to me and this just turned my stomach; then again, I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised.

Watch behind the scenes. See how few of the set guys hold the rope and kill the horse in the set. Imagine, you have one job, its easy, to help the production, and you have brain as well. You know that what you are doing will kill the horse, and you are killing a horse with your own hands. I wonder the psychology of the authority who decided this. No movie set should have the courage to kill an animal.