Charged After Barely Showing Face... Owner in 'Poodle Live Burial Incident' Indicted

Uncharged Prosecution of 30s Dog Owner and 40s Acquaintance
Treated Poodle Now Living New Life with New Owner

A dog owner and an acquaintance who buried a poodle alive in Jeju have been brought to trial. Generally, cases of animal protection law violations are often subject to summary indictment, but the prosecution decided to file a formal indictment considering the seriousness of the matter.

According to the Criminal Division 3 of Jeju District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Shin Jae-hong) on the 30th, two people in their 30s and 40s, dog owner A and acquaintance B, were indicted without detention yesterday on charges of violating the Animal Protection Act. They are accused of burying a 7-year-old poodle alive around 3 a.m. on April 19 near a stream in Naedo-dong, Jeju City. The poodle was buried with only its nose exposed and was discovered by a passerby.

On April 21st, a poodle that was buried alive was rescued. It is currently living healthily under the name "Dami" with its new owner. Photo by Yonhap News

When the investigation began, A, who lives near the crime scene, voluntarily surrendered. He initially told the police that he had lost his pet dog but later changed his statement to say he thought the dog was dead and buried it. However, when evidence such as CCTV footage showing the movement of the living dog was presented, he admitted to part of the crime. It was reported that dog owner A testified that he moved to the stream area he was familiar with and committed the crime with acquaintance B.

A prosecution official stated, "After a long investigation, we judged the matter to be serious and decided to indict."

In most cases of animal protection law violations, formal trials are not held, and summary indictments are common. When this case became known, animal protection groups urged severe punishment for the suspects. The "Jeju Network Without Abandoned Animals," composed of those who first discovered and rescued the buried poodle and animal protection organizations in Jeju, submitted a petition in April stating, "The fact that the person who buried the poodle alive is none other than the dog's owner and his friend has shocked the world," and demanded "severe punishment under the maximum penalty of the Animal Protection Act."

Meanwhile, the poodle rescued at the time was treated at the Jeju Animal Protection Center and then moved to a temporary shelter. The MBC program 'True Story Exploration Team,' aired on the 22nd, revealed the poodle's condition after eight months. The poodle met a new owner, was named ‘Dami,’ and was living healthily. After the incident, Lee Seung-taek, who temporarily cared for Dami, decided to adopt her because he could not bear to send her to another home.

In the broadcast, Lee said, "In Dami's case, she was especially an animal that had suffered pain, so it was not easy to send her away," and added, "As we spent time together, Dami's pain gradually disappeared and she became lively, so I welcomed her as family."

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