Man arrested over animals dumped in river in sacrifice to God
Last month’s photo shows animal parts floating in the Hangang River. The bodies were allegedly dumped by a man surnamed Lee near Misa Bridge in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province. / Yonhap
By Hong Dam-young
A man in his 50s has been arrested for allegedly dumping up to 13 tons of dead animals into Hangang River as a sacrifice to God.
Prosecutors said the suspect, surnamed Lee, 51, had dumped animal corpses into the river near Misa Bridge in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, from October 2015 to August this year.
A total of 98 bodies were dumped -- 78 pigs and 20 cows -- worth 200 million won ($181,967). The pigs were cut into four pieces and the cows into six.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said on Friday that police caught Lee on Aug. 17. After an investigation, he was arrested for infringing water quality.
Prosecutors said Lee bought the animals to offer them as a sacrifice to God. The former cleric of a religion that remains unknown has been running a yoga center where he prayed with his followers and practiced asceticism.
The suspect said he dumped the animals into the river in the belief it could strengthen the power of his prayer. He chose to do it at night around the little-frequented Misa Bridge, which he believed had a positive energy flow.
There were several reports last month of animal parts in the river near the bridge and Jamsil district in eastern Seoul.
“After the reports, we have collected about one third of the pieces of discarded corpses, and they were awfully decayed,” an official from the prosecutors’ office said.
“Dumping massive amounts of dead bodies can pollute the water and pose a threat to people’s health.”
Prosecutors said they will investigate the suspect’s two alleged accomplices and put the case to trial early next month.