Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Calls rise for strong punishment of man who allegedly killed 19 dogs
The man who allegedly tortured and killed 19 adopted dogs in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, is seen with his poodle in this Dec. 5 Instagram post by Gunsan Stray Cat Caregiver, an independent animal protection group that reported the man to the police. / Screenshot from Gunsan Stray Cat Caregiver's Instagram account
By Lee Hae-rin
By Lee Hae-rin
Public outrage over a man who is alleged to have brutally tortured and killed 19 dogs is growing, calling for strong punishment and the revealing of his identity.
A petition was posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website, Tuesday, calling for sufficient punishment of the man, based on allegations of animal cruelty. It has garnered over 107,000 signatures as of 1 p.m. on Friday.
“The man claims to have temporary insanity and mental illness, but his ways of torturing animals were more sophisticated, elaborate and bold than any previous crimes,” the petitioner wrote. “I hope this case paves the way to prevent similar crimes and strengthens punishment for animal cruelty.”
According to the Gunsan Police Station, the man, 41, employed at a public enterprise, is under investigation for allegations of violating the Animal Protection Law. From March to October of this year, he allegedly tortured and killed 19 poodles he had adopted.
Police said that he drowned, burned and disposed of the dead dogs in the apartment complex garden. An autopsy of the dogs showed evidence of torture, including fractures in their skulls and lower jawbones, as well as large burnt areas on their coats and skin.
The police received a report of the case from a local animal protection group, Nov. 30, and arrested the man on Dec. 2 for attempting to destroy evidence when he was found digging up the apartment complex's garden.
Experts emphasize the severe criminal nature of animal cruelty and the need to strengthen punishment for perpetrators so as to prevent future crimes.
“There is an ongoing legislation bill that will prevent a person with a history of animal cruelty from adopting more animals. However, it will be insufficient to prevent similar crimes in the future,” Han Jae-eun, a lawyer at the Korean Animal Welfare Association, told The Korea Times, Friday.
“To prevent such crimes, persons convicted of such crimes must be punished strongly to inform other members of society of the severity of the crime. Perpetrators in cases of animal cruelty in Korea have never received the maximum sentence, which is a three-year jail term and a 30 million won ($25,380) fine,” Han said.
“Not all animal torturers become serial killers, but many cases here and abroad show that serial killers tend to begin by torturing and killing animals. Animal cruelty can develop into the mistreatment of the socially disadvantaged, and such disregard for life should not be ignored, to prevent future crimes,” Han said.