A Man in His 20s Sentenced to 8 Months in Prison for Killing Pet Dog 'Tosuni' in Mangwon-dong

Second Imprisonment Case for 'Animal Abuse' Since the Enactment of the Animal Protection Act
Court: "Cruel Method of Crime and Offense Committed During Recidivism Period... Imprisonment Sentence Inevitable"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A man in his 20s who was arrested and indicted on charges of brutally killing a companion dog named ‘Tosuni,’ which went missing after going for a walk with its owner, was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

On the morning of the 22nd at 10 a.m., Judge Lee Seung-won of the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 1 sentenced Jeong Mo (28), a chicken restaurant employee, to eight months in prison.

Since the enactment of the Animal Protection Act in 1991, this is the second time a prison sentence has been handed down for animal abuse, following last year’s ‘Gyeongui Line Cat Killing Incident.’

The court stated, “The defendant tried to catch a lost dog with the intention of raising it but brutally killed the dog when it resisted. Considering the motive of the crime, there is room for criticism, and despite having a history of multiple punishments for violent crimes, the defendant committed the crime again during the probation period.”

It added, “The victim and their family have suffered great mental shock and are pleading for severe punishment of the defendant. However, the defendant admitted to the crime and is showing remorse, and the crime was not premeditated,” explaining the reasons for sentencing.

Earlier, on October 9 last year, Jeong was accused of cruelly killing the companion dog ‘Tosuni,’ which had lost its owner while out for a walk in a residential area in Mangwon-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, and abandoning the corpse (charges of property damage and violation of the Animal Protection Act).

Investigations revealed that Jeong committed the crime out of anger when ‘Tosuni’ started barking after cornering him while trying to escape. The deceased ‘Tosuni’ was found in a nearby parking lot with severe head injuries.

At the sentencing hearing held on the 8th, the prosecution argued, “This case is a serious crime where the defendant brutally killed a living creature simply because he was ‘angry.’ The defendant has a history of repeatedly committing violence against weaker individuals and was convicted for such offenses. Since the crime was committed during the probation period, the risk of reoffending is very high,” and requested a sentence of one year and six months in prison.

Meanwhile, this case has raised the need to strengthen the Animal Protection Act. Under the current Animal Protection Act, animal abuse is punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won, but actual prison sentences are rarely handed down even when the prosecution indicts. Because of this, immediately after the incident, a petition titled ‘Please strengthen the Animal Protection Act’ was submitted to the Blue House, gaining about 117,000 signatures by the time it closed in November last year.