Man in His 20s Sentenced to Prison and Taken Into Custody on Appeal for Abusing and Causing Deaths of 11 Adopted Companion Animals

by Lee Kyungho

Published 21 Oct.2025 12:58(KST)

The Uijeongbu District Court where the sentencing trial was held. Animal Rights Action Kara

A man in his 20s who was put on trial for causing the deaths of 11 adopted companion animals has been sentenced to prison and taken into custody following his appeal.

According to Animal Rights Action Kara on October 21, the Criminal Division 3 of the Uijeongbu District Court (Presiding Judge Hwang Seonggwang) overturned the suspended sentence from the first trial and sentenced Mr. A, who was indicted for violating the Animal Protection Act, to 1 year and 6 months in prison on October 17. Mr. A was prosecuted for temporarily fostering or adopting 11 cats and dogs under the pretext of relieving stress and causing all of them to die within a short period.

The court explained its reasoning for sentencing, stating, "The defendant abused the companion animal adoption system to commit planned and repeated crimes, and both the methods used and the disposal of the bodies were extremely cruel, showing a lack of respect for life. The defendant also failed to show genuine remorse, as evidenced by taking in another cat even while under investigation. The considerable psychological distress caused to many of the original owners was also taken into account as an aggravating factor."

Yoon Seongmo, an activist from Animal Rights Action Kara who reported Mr. A, said, "Before the second trial verdict, there was an unprecedented citizen participation movement, with as many as 332 handwritten petitions calling for a severe punishment for the defendant." He welcomed the ruling, expressing hope that "this verdict will set a precedent and serve as a warning against crimes involving animal adoption." He also urged, "The government should introduce a system to track the adoption history of companion animals in cases of private adoption."