Sharing Animal Abuse Photos with "ㅋㅋㅋ"... Horrific 'Gore Specialty Room' [Hello? Animal]

'Gore Specialty Room' Case Sharing Cruel Abuse Photos of Stray Cats
Similar Incidents Persist in Online Spaces
Criticism of 'Lenient Punishment' for Animal Abuse Offenders
Only 5 Arrests Among 4,358 Offenders in the Past 11 Years
Experts: "Violations of the Animal Protection Act Are Serious Crimes"
"Strict Punishment and Education on Animal Abuse Must Be Implemented Together"

The cat captured during the 'Gore Specialty Room' incident last January, where a stray cat was brutally abused and killed, and the act was shared in a KakaoTalk open chat room, causing controversy / Photo by Internet homepage capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Since the so-called 'Gore Specialty Chatroom' incident, where animals were abused or cruelly killed and photos and videos were created and shared, public awareness of animal abuse has been increasing. This is because similar cases have been continuously discovered using online spaces such as KakaoTalk open chat rooms and internet communities. Some voices call for strict punishment for those who commit animal abuse crimes.

The Gore Specialty Chatroom incident was first revealed in January last year. At that time, a post appeared on an online community stating, "There is someone abusing stray cats in an open chatroom." According to the post's author, some netizens in an anonymously operated KakaoTalk open chatroom cruelly killed stray cats and shared photos of them.

Netizens participating in the chatroom showed mocking reactions such as "ㅋㅋㅋ" and "That's satisfying" upon seeing animal carcasses with severely mutilated body parts.

After receiving reports from citizens, the police began a full-scale investigation into the Gore Specialty Chatroom and conducted a thorough investigation of about 80 participants in the chatroom. Mr. A, who was the chatroom leader, was indicted for violating the Animal Protection Act in September last year and was fined 3 million won.

Members of the Gore Specialty Room are reported to have circulated photos of cats being cruelly abused or killed. / Photo by Kara, an animal rights protection organization

Another netizen, Mr. B, who shared abuse videos, was sentenced in the first trial in November last year to four months in prison with a two-year probation and fined 1 million won.

The problem is that even after the Gore Specialty Chatroom incident, cases of abusing animals and sharing photos or videos online continue unabated.

A representative case is the 'Pohang Stray Cat Abuse' incident that occurred in February in Guryongpo, Pohang City, Gyeongbuk Province. The abuser took photos of the cats they abused or killed and posted them on social networking services (SNS). Netizens who saw the photos investigated the location and found it was an abandoned fish farm in Pohang.

At that time, the animal rights organization 'Kara' visited the site with citizens and rescued several cats. Kara stated on their SNS account, "We cleaned up the animal abuse site at the abandoned fish farm in Pohang with citizens and rescued nine cats." They also collected carcasses left behind by the abuser during the abuse process.

Some argue that the punishment for animal abuse and murder offenders is too lenient compared to the cruelty involved, which may be why incidents like the 'Gore Specialty Chatroom' continue to occur.

The number of offenders violating the Animal Protection Act has surged more than tenfold over the past 11 years, while the level of punishment has remained low. / Photo by Yonhap News

In fact, the number of animal abuse offenders is rapidly increasing. According to data on 'Animal Protection Act violations over the past 11 years' submitted by the National Police Agency to Justice Party lawmaker Eunju Lee in September last year, a total of 992 Animal Protection Act violation cases occurred in 2020, resulting in 1,014 arrests. This is more than ten times the number of animal abuse offenders (78) in 2010, ten years earlier.

However, the level of punishment remains relatively weak. From 2010 to 2020, a total of 4,358 Animal Protection Act violators were arrested, but only 2,751 (63.1%) were sent for prosecution with an indictment opinion. This is about six out of ten. Among them, only five were detained.

Lawmaker Lee pointed out the need to enhance the professionalism and investigative capabilities of the police handling animal abuse cases. She said, "Since there are concerns about the police's lack of awareness regarding animal abuse cases, proper handling of these cases must be ensured," adding, "Related content should be included in police workplace training, and specialized investigative skills should be developed."

Experts suggest that strict punishment for Animal Protection Act violators is necessary, and citizens also need to maintain vigilance against animal abuse acts.

Wonbok Lee, head of the Korea Animal Protection Federation, emphasized, "Violations of the Animal Protection Act are serious crimes punishable by up to three years in prison or fines up to 30 million won, and posting or distributing animal abuse photos can also be punished," adding, "It is important to recognize that animal abuse is a serious crime."

He continued, "Although the Animal Protection Act has been recently strengthened, there are still shortcomings such as lenient punishments," and added, "It is important for the judiciary to impose strict penalties to raise awareness, and above all, efforts to inform and promote to the public that tormenting or abusing animals is an unforgivable act must be carried out together."