Apprehended in Daegu on the 4th
Pet dog found in healthy condition
[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] Kim Mo (34), a delivery worker who attracted netizens' attention by delivering packages with his pet dog, and his girlfriend A were arrested by the police. The two pet dogs were found in relatively healthy condition at their residence.
On the 6th, the Gangdong Police Station in Seoul announced that Kim and A, who are suspected of violating the Act on the Collection and Use of Donations and fraud, were apprehended around 8 p.m. on the 4th in Daegu. The police regard A as the main suspect and reportedly applied for an arrest warrant. During their escape period, they stayed in Daegu and evaded police tracking by not using mobile phones or credit cards.
Kim, known as a former gymnast, is suspected of disappearing after collecting donations several times under the pretext of surgery fees for his pet dogs, Kyungtae and Taehee. He is also suspected of borrowing money from acquaintances he knew through social networking services (SNS) using the same method.
Kim gained significant attention on SNS as the "delivery worker who delivers packages with his pet dog." After the story of rescuing and caring for Kyungtae, a stray dog suffering from heartworm disease, became known, his Instagram account "Kyungtae Abuji" gathered over 220,000 followers.
Since March, Kim posted several requests for donations. The posts said, "Kyungtae and Taehee have heart disease, but there is no money for treatment, and someone caused a car accident, so I can't do delivery work," and "I am struggling because I don't have money to treat my sick pets." The police estimate that about 600 million won was collected.
Later, Kim said, "I learned that unauthorized personal donations should not exceed 10 million won," and promised to return the money to donors, but in reality, he did not refund it.
The police received the case through a complaint on the National Sinmungo in April and started an investigation by booking Kim on charges of fraud and violation of the Act on the Collection and Use of Donations. According to the police investigation, Kim followed A's opinion in collecting donations and mostly admitted to the charges.
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