"Made Noise, So Did It" 50s Man Electrocuted Neighbor's Dog
"Because of Complaints" Owner Taped Pet Dog's Mouth
Citizens "Speechless Dog... How Painful Must It Be" Outraged
Expert "Frequent Barking Due to Poor Environment"
A retriever puppy with its mouth tightly wrapped in tape by its owner for barking loudly. Photo by Animal Rescue 119
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Cases of animal abuse and cruel killings continue to occur simply because the animals barked loudly. Some have wrapped dogs' mouths tightly with box tape, while others have electrocuted neighbor's dogs to death using electric batteries.
Citizens are outraged. They criticize how such atrocities can be committed just because a dog barks, which is a natural behavior. Experts point out that abusing or killing companion dogs because they bark reflects a mistaken perception that animals are not living beings. They also emphasize that conflicts between neighbors caused by pets, along with noise issues between floors, are challenges that society must consider and resolve going forward.
On the 27th, the Buan Police Station in Jeonbuk announced that they have arrested and are investigating a man in his 50s, Mr. A, on charges of violating the Animal Protection Act for killing a neighbor's dog.
Mr. A, who lives in Gyeokpo-myeon, Buan-gun, is suspected of killing two dogs in a neighbor's yard on the 23rd using an electric battery. The battery is known to have been used to catch fish in streams by sending a strong current of over 600 volts.
The dog owner was away over the weekend and reported to the police after returning home to find the dogs dead. The police confirmed the crime through nearby closed-circuit television (CCTV) and arrested Mr. A, who lives near the dog owner's house.
During the police investigation, Mr. A reportedly stated, "The neighbor's dog barked loudly every time a person passed by, so I did it because it was noisy."
Meanwhile, in March in Seoul, a dog owner wrapped a dog's mouth tightly with box tape because the dog kept barking.
Animal Rescue 119 responded to a resident's report of a dog with its mouth tied up in the yard of a house in Seoul on the 2nd of the same month, along with the responsible officials. Although the tape binding the dog's mouth had been removed by then, the dog had severe injuries around its mouth with hair missing, requiring urgent treatment.
The owner, Mr. B, explained that "the one-year-old dog kept barking loudly, causing noise complaints, so it was done temporarily." Animal Rescue 119 later received a letter of relinquishment of animal ownership from Mr. B, drafted a transfer contract, and took the dog to a veterinary hospital for treatment.
Upon learning of this, citizens expressed outrage. Netizens criticized, saying, "How much pain must the voiceless dog have endured?" "Isn't barking a dog's nature?" "People like this really shouldn't be allowed to own dogs."
It is also pointed out that frequent barking indicates the dog is in an unstable situation, often due to being left in poor conditions for a long time. Kim (29), an office worker who owns a companion dog, said, "Dogs do not bark to the extent of disturbing people when they are in a stable state. It is the owner's responsibility to put the dog in an unstable situation, and that itself is abuse. Silencing them or even causing death because of this is treating animals as objects, not living beings," he criticized.
The Ministry of Justice has announced a legislative amendment to include the clause "Animals are not objects" in Article 98-2, Paragraph 2 of the Civil Act. /Photo by Yonhap News
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice announced on the 19th a legislative proposal to add the clause "Animals are not objects" to Article 98-2 of the Civil Act. The bill aims to legally recognize animals, which have been treated as objects, as living beings. If this amendment passes the National Assembly, animals will be legally recognized as animals themselves, not as objects.
The Ministry of Justice's push for this Civil Act amendment is based on the judgment that the population raising companion animals is increasing and that there is a social consensus on the need to protect and respect animals as living beings. It is also interpreted as the judiciary's intention to strictly punish acts of animal abuse or causing death.
Experts point out that acts of animal abuse stem from the mistaken perception that animals are objects, not living beings.
Lee Wonbok, head of the Korea Animal Protection Union, explained, "Dogs bark when strangers come or when they feel threatened by their surroundings, and this is a natural phenomenon, just like a child crying when hungry."
Regarding noise conflicts related to companion animals, he added, "Frequent barking means the environment is poor, and the dog is releasing stress caused by this. Owners should make efforts to prevent their dogs' barking from disturbing neighbors. Of course, abuse for this reason is unacceptable." He continued, "One in four Koreans reportedly owns a companion animal. Conflicts related to companion animals will continue to occur. Society must continue to seek reasonable solutions for a mature culture."
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