Dog Attacking Ulsan Elementary Student 'Euthanasia Halted'
Prosecutors "Reconsidering Disposal of Seized Item (Dog)"
On the 11th, an 8-year-old child was bitten by a dog in an apartment complex in Ulsan. The dog only left the child's side and ran away after a delivery worker threatened it with a cart. Photo by BobaeDream capture
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Nayeon] The euthanasia procedure for a dog that bit and seriously injured an 8-year-old child in an apartment complex in Ulsan has been temporarily suspended.
According to the Ulsan Ulju Police Station on the 16th, the euthanasia procedure for a Jindo mixed breed dog that attacked an 8-year-old boy, A, on the neck and other areas in an apartment complex in Ulju-gun, Ulsan City, on the 11th has been halted.
Earlier on the 11th, an incident occurred in an apartment complex in Ulsan where an 8-year-old child was bitten on the neck and limbs by a dog roaming without a leash.
As CCTV footage from the scene was released and sparked public outrage, the delivery worker who rescued boy A described the horrific situation, saying, "The dog wasn’t just biting; it was actually trying to eat him."
According to the CCTV, boy A was chased and attacked by the dog even after falling down, and at one point, he appeared to give up and stopped moving. At that moment, a delivery worker who happened to see the scene threatened the dog by banging a cart on the ground, causing the dog to finally leave boy A and run away.
After the accident, the police booked the dog owner, a person in their late 70s living nearby, on charges of negligence causing injury.
On the 15th, the police proceeded with the euthanasia procedure for the dog, considering it highly likely to cause a fatal accident. Under current law, animals are classified as property and are subject to seizure and other compulsory enforcement. However, the prosecution rejected the euthanasia based on the investigation so far, stating it is difficult to recognize the dog as posing a risk of danger.
The prosecution stated that even if the seized item (dog) caused serious injury by biting a person, indirect evidence is needed to determine whether the item itself is extremely dangerous as an object that could threaten human life, body, health, or property. They judged that such evidence must be secured to reconsider whether to dispose of the seized item.
Accordingly, the police plan to request the prosecution to reissue instructions regarding the disposal of the seized item after supplementing the necessary information.
Boy A is currently hospitalized and receiving suturing surgery on his neck, arms, and legs, with the dog bite wounds reported to be quite deep.
Boy A’s father said, "It was reported that his life was not in danger, but it is. The dog bit and chewed his neck thoroughly. If it weren’t for the delivery worker, he would have died on the spot."
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