Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Crack Down on 21 Illegal Sites for Cruel Dog Slaughter and Other Violations

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has cracked down on operators who slaughter dogs in cruel ways or neglect sick dogs without treatment.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police for Public Welfare announced on the 29th that from January to December this year, they conducted intensive inspections of dog breeding facilities and pet-related business establishments in the province, arresting 26 people at 21 locations on charges of violating the Animal Protection Act and other laws.

The violations included 7 cases of animal abuse, 2 cases of unauthorized animal production, 5 cases of unregistered animal businesses (sales, funerals, grooming, consignment management), 3 cases of violating the Livestock Manure Act, 8 cases of violating the Waste Management Act, and 4 other cases, totaling 29 violations.

Mr. A operated a dog slaughterhouse in Hanam City from 2019 until July this year, electrocuting about 90 dogs with electric metal skewers to slaughter them and removing their fur using a flame thrower, and was caught on site.

Mr. B raised about 20 companion dogs in Gimpo City from August 2019 to March this year without properly cleaning their feces, neglecting them even when they suffered from diseases such as bedsores, and feeding them food waste, which led to his arrest.

Mr. C and Mr. D were found to have sold about 330 companion dogs bred under the name of a licensed company at an auction in Pocheon City.

Mr. E, who runs a pet funeral business in Siheung City, cremated pet corpses without reporting and illegally operated an incinerator, which is an air emission and waste disposal facility.

According to the current Animal Protection Act, acts of abuse causing death are punishable by up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won; animal abuse causing disease or injury is punishable by up to 2 years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won; and unauthorized or unregistered pet business operations are subject to fines of up to 5 million won.

If leftover food is disposed of without reporting under the Waste Management Act, offenders face up to 2 years in prison or fines of up to 20 million won.

Yoon Tae-wan, head of the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police for Public Welfare, explained, "Following the strengthened penalties with this year's amendment to the Animal Protection Act and the social discussion on banning dog meat consumption gaining momentum, we plan to continue investigations to eradicate illegal acts related to animals, including animal abuse."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.