[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] A man who brutally beat to death a pet dog that bit his finger has been sentenced to a fine, sparking criticism among citizens who call it a 'lenient punishment.' As cases of cruel animal abuse continue to rise, concerns are growing, but the punishment for offenders remains weak.
The Incheon District Court Criminal Division 5 (Judge Oh Beomseok) announced on the 4th that it sentenced A (24) to a fine of 3 million won for violating the Animal Protection Act.
A was charged with picking up his pet dog at around 2 a.m. on June 7 last year at a motel in Jung-gu, Incheon, throwing it against the wall, and repeatedly punching its abdomen, causing its death. Investigations revealed that A committed the crime out of anger after the dog bit his wife’s and his fingers.
The court stated, "He cruelly inflicted violence leading to death simply because he was angry at the pet dog. The blameworthiness is considerable," but added, "He admitted the crime and is remorseful. Considering that this is his first offense, the sentence was determined."
Upon learning of this, citizens expressed outrage. They pointed out that despite abusing animals and taking a life, the punishment was limited to a fine, which is too lenient.
Netizens flooded the comments on related articles with criticisms such as, "Isn't this kind of incident continuing because of lenient punishments?", "Even though the law has been strengthened, punishments are still at the fine level," and "There needs to be a system to verify whether someone is fit to raise animals."
The reason for the citizens' angry reactions is interpreted as the increasing number of animal abuse cases every year. According to data submitted by Song Kiheon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, to the Ministry of Justice, the number of cases handled by prosecutors for violating the Animal Protection Act was 339 in 2016, 509 in 2017, 601 in 2018, 1,070 in 2019, and 879 from January to October last year.
However, only 93 people (2.8%) were formally tried in court, and among them, only 2 people (0.1%) were prosecuted with detention. This is the point where criticisms of lenient punishment arise.
As social concerns about animal abuse grow, the National Assembly passed an amendment to the Animal Protection Act in February, raising the penalty from "imprisonment of up to 2 years or a fine of up to 20 million won" to "imprisonment of up to 3 years or a fine of up to 30 million won." However, actual punishments for offenders remain weak, prompting increasing calls for effective law enforcement.
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