Delivery worker accused of embezzling 600 million won in support for stray dog Gyeongtae sentenced to 5 years in appeal trial

Prosecutors: "Over 10,000 Victims, Serious Crime"
Delivery Worker A Claims "Did Not Know Girlfriend's Crime"

In the appeal trial of a former delivery worker who disappeared after receiving donations under the name 'Gyeongtae Abuji' by using abandoned dogs, the prosecution requested the same five-year prison sentence as the original trial.

On the morning of the 5th, the Seoul Eastern District Court 1-3 Criminal Appeals Division (Presiding Judge So Byeong-seok) held an appeal hearing for A (34), a former delivery worker charged with fraud and violation of the Act on the Collection and Use of Donations.

Kyungtae. [Photo by Yonhap News]

On this day, the prosecution submitted additional evidence of transactions from a fake account used in the crime and requested a five-year prison sentence from the court. A claimed his innocence, stating, "I was busy with delivery work every day and could not have been involved in gambling, and I have also asserted through a petition that I did not use the donations."

Earlier, A denied some charges, claiming that his girlfriend B (39), who was identified as an accomplice, collected donations secretly and squandered them on gambling without his knowledge.

However, the prosecution argued, "Since the crime occurred while living together with his girlfriend and preparing to flee, it is illogical to claim that he was completely unaware of her actions," and added, "More than 10,000 victims who intended to help the dog ‘Gyeongtae’ in good faith were affected, making the crime extremely serious, so all charges should be upheld."

In the first trial held in January, the prosecution requested five years and seven years in prison for A and B respectively, but the court sentenced them to two years and seven years respectively. Both A and B appealed on the grounds of unfair sentencing, and the prosecution also filed an appeal.

The first trial court judged that B was the 'main culprit' who effectively managed the social media and the donations.

A and B gained fame on the social networking service (SNS) Instagram under the name ‘Gyeongtae Abuji’ by carrying an abandoned dog named ‘Gyeongtae’ in a delivery vehicle starting in 2020. They later increased their recognition by adopting another abandoned dog named ‘Taehee’.

Kyungtae [Photo by KyungtaeAbuji SNS capture]

They were indicted on charges of collecting about 610 million KRW from 12,808 people without reporting it, claiming through SNS between late March and early April last year that ‘Gyeongtae’ and ‘Taehee’ needed hospital treatment, and then disappearing. They appealed for donations by saying things like "The delivery vehicle broke down due to an accident" and "I can't work because the dogs are sick," then closed the account and vanished.

It was later revealed that A’s story was a lie. In particular, it shocked many people that Gyeongtae was not an abandoned dog but a pet dog that B, A’s girlfriend, had raised since 2013.

According to the prosecution, the donations were squandered on online gambling and living expenses. A and B ignored police investigation requests and continued to evade capture but were eventually arrested after six months.

Meanwhile, ‘Gyeongtae’ was found at their home in Daegu and reportedly handed over to B’s family. The sentencing for A’s appeal trial is scheduled for the 14th.

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