Dog Owner Kim Min-kyo in 'Dog Bite Incident' That Caused Death of Woman in Her 80s... Suspended Prison Sentence with Probation

Photo by Min-kyo Kim, Instagram capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] It has been belatedly confirmed that actor Kim Min-kyo received a suspended prison sentence for the incident in which his pet dog bit an elderly neighbor in her 80s, causing her death.

According to the legal community on the 23rd, Judge Park Sang-han of the Criminal Division 6 at the Suwon District Court Seongnam Branch sentenced Kim, who was indicted last July on charges of negligent homicide, to eight months in prison with a two-year suspension.

The court stated, "The defendant violated his duty of care to manage the kennel and take special precautions to prevent the dog, which had previously bitten neighborhood residents, from harming people. As a result, a serious outcome occurred with a person’s death. Considering the circumstances, method, and extent of the damage, the culpability is by no means light."

It added, "However, the defendant confessed to the crime, showed deep remorse, amicably settled with the victim’s family, and entrusted the dog to a pet training center to prevent recurrence, which were taken into account as favorable factors."

Since neither Kim nor the prosecution appealed, the ruling was finalized as is.

Previously, Kim was indicted for the incident on May 4, 2020, around 5:30 p.m., at his residence in Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, where one of his dogs jumped over the fence and bit the victim, Ms. A (then 84 years old), on her leg and arm while she was in the backyard garden. It was investigated that the pets were off-leash and free in the kennel at the time.

Ms. A received medical treatment but ultimately passed away on July 3, about two months later.

At the time of the incident, Kim stated, "While I was out filming, the dogs inside the kennel saw a roe deer and jumped over the fence. Since they went out from inside the fence, they were not wearing muzzles or leashes. My wife was anxious to find the dogs quickly. During that time, the dogs bit the elderly woman in the garden."

He continued, "An accident that should never have happened occurred. I accept full responsibility as the owner. I apologize to the family of the elderly woman who always cared for my wife and me. I will take responsibility and stay with them until the treatment is complete."

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