Fines Even for Throwing from Second Floor... Calls to Strengthen Animal Abuse Penalties

Most Punishments Remain Mild
Sentencing Lacks Standards, Rulings Vary
Legislative Bill Discussions Stalled in National Assembly

Voices expressing concern over animal abuse crimes are growing louder, but cases leading to punishment are rare. Even when legal penalties are imposed, most result in suspended sentences or fines.

According to the National Police Agency's crime statistics on the 4th, the number of cases under the Animal Protection Act recorded 531 in 2018, 914 in 2019, 992 in 2020, 1,072 in 2021, and 1,237 in 2022. On the other hand, first-instance rulings under the Animal Protection Act were only 82 cases in 2022, including 5 abandonment cases, 14 suspended sentences, 46 fines, 7 suspended sentences with fines, and 3 acquittals.

Last year, the Daejeon District Court sentenced a man in his 60s, Mr. A, to a fine of 600,000 won for violating the Animal Protection Act. Mr. A stabbed the bodies of two cats he kept in his yard multiple times with a sharp object inside a metal cage, claiming the cats shed fur and did not obey him, causing injuries.

The Seoul Northern District Court fined Mr. B, a man in his 30s, 2 million won for throwing a Pomeranian puppy off the railing of the second floor of a building. The Pomeranian suffered neurological symptoms, hind leg paralysis, spinal fractures, hypotension, and inability to stand on its hind legs.

On August 14, 2018, a family of cats is resting in the cool shade in the parking lot of a building in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Under current law, those who commit animal abuse face imprisonment of up to three years or fines of up to 30 million won. However, due to the absence of sentencing guidelines from the Supreme Court, the severity of punishment is determined variably based on judges' values and discretion.

In fact, the Pohang branch of the Daegu District Court sentenced Mr. C to 2 years and 6 months in prison and a fine of 2 million won for the charge of serially killing stray cats, displaying them, and uploading the videos on YouTube.

On the other hand, Mr. D, involved in the so-called 'animal version of the nth room' case, who captured and mutilated wild animals such as stray cats and shared videos and photos of abuse in a KakaoTalk open chat room, was sentenced by the Supreme Court to 8 months in prison and a fine of 2 million won. In response to criticism over inconsistent sentencing severity, the Supreme Court has decided to establish sentencing guidelines for animal abuse crimes by 2025.

In the National Assembly, bills to strengthen penalties under the Animal Protection Act have been proposed but are currently pending in the Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, Fisheries, and Oceans Committee. Assemblywoman Jo Su-jin of the People Power Party submitted a proposal to increase penalties for animal abuse to imprisonment of up to five years or fines of up to 50 million won.

Assemblyman Tae Young-ho of the People Power Party proposed a bill to punish those who attempted but failed to kill animals through abuse. Assemblyman Kim Min-seok of the Democratic Party included provisions banning the posting and sharing of animal abuse videos on social networking services (SNS).

Yoon Sung-mo, an activist from Animal Rights Action Kara, emphasized, “Even when animal abuse cases are reported, investigations are not actively conducted, and punishments are very weak. Since judges issue varying rulings, sentencing guidelines need to be established quickly, and legislative supplementation is necessary.”