The incident occurred in the city of Gyeongju at a vacant lot. In the video shown above, the driver can be seen hitting the horse starting at the 0:20 mark with what appears to be either a stick or a whip. The horse attempts to flee the driver, yet once the driver catches up, he continues to flog the horse. Even after the horse collapses from the pain, the driver continues to hit him. The beating actually gets worse, as the driver repeatedly flogs and kicks the horse in the head.
Although other people can be seen slowly gathering around the horse, they appear to be more interested in taking away the stagecoach equipment than actually caring about the horse.
A witness told JTBC News, "The driver felt justified in hitting the horse and there was no person who stopped him. The horse, who was being struck by a wire-like instrument, was gasping for air and looked like it was under extreme torture."
When the reporters showed the driver the video, he reportedly said, "That never happened. I don't know."
Meanwhile, the Korean animal rights group Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE) is collecting signatures for their petition to place a sales ban on the driver's business as punishment. The stagecoach driver is reported to work in a business that caters to tourists who want to see the city.
Netizens appear to prefer a harsher punishment, however, as top comments include, "Ah, just beat him up like he did to the horse...," "What are you doing to an animal who can't even speak for itself," and, "The problem seems to be humanity."
You can view the petition here; you need to register on Daum to sign it. The original video, which has gained over 120,000 views, can be viewed here.
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