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| A cat brutally killed by a man in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, is seen in this Instagram post uploaded by the Korean Animal Rights Advocates (KARA), Tuesday. / Screenshot from KARA's Instagram |
By Lee Hae-rin
Public outrage over light punishments handed out with regards to animal cruelty is rising, as critics say that leniency leads to the recurrence of similar crimes, even a year after the strengthening of the nation's Animal Protection Law aimed at taking stricter action against abusers.
According to the Korean Animal Rights Advocates (KARA), Wednesday, a man is under investigation at Changwon Central Police Station on suspicion of brutally killing a cat that belonged to a restaurant owner. The man allegedly grabbed the feline by its tail, struck it down multiple times on a cement floor and fled the area when witnesses arrived, Jan. 26.
KARA posted a petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website, Jan. 28, calling for sufficient punishment for the suspect, and garnered over 48,000 signatures as of 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
According to the advocacy group, a similar incident of brutally killing a cat occurred in 2019 and received a government promise for stricter punishment so as to prevent animal cruelty, after a petition obtained over 200,000 signatures. The animal abuser was sentenced to a six-month jail term but the group claims that similar crimes continue to occur due to the light punishment for abusers.
KARA revealed letters sent by someone claiming to have killed cats and threatened the life of an animal carer, which the group reported to Mapo Police Station, according to its Instagram post, Sunday.
The letter writer has been sending threatening letters since August 2021 and showing an increasing inclination to violence, the group said. The man wrote in one of his letters, "I killed three kittens by striking and trampling them, which felt good. This is not animal cruelty but a disinfestation."
He added, "I might serve two years of jail time, but there will be news on the murder of the cat carer," and also wrote, "I will get rid of you (the cat carer) and I have the weapon I need ready."
In response, some internet user wrote, "I hope they catch the man and punish him sufficiently," while another wrote, "This is what we get for letting off animal torturers. Will people only start caring once animal cruelty develops into crimes against humans?"
Animal cruelty has been on the rise, despite increasing social recognition of animal rights. According to the police report obtained by Lee Eun-ju of the Justice Party, 1,014 were arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty in 2020, which is up from 962 the year before and 78 in 2010.
In Feb. 12 last year, the Animal Protection Law was amended to elevate an act of killing an animal from a two-year jail term and a 20 million won ($16,611) fine to three years and 30 million, in response to growing calls for strengthening punishment for animal cruelty.
However, the police report shows that 304 out of 3,345 arrested for animal cruelty since 2019 were brought to trial, 39 of whom were given actual punishments. Of those, 29 were given probation, leaving 10 sentenced to actual jail time, none of whom were given the maximum term allowed under the law.
