Men in Their 20s Who Abused Pet Dogs by Firing BB Pellets at Their Eyes Referred to Trial

In Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, men in their 20s who fired BB pellets at pet dogs, causing severe injuries, have eventually been brought to trial. Public outrage continues to grow, especially as it has been revealed that an active-duty Marine Corps member was involved in the case.

On the 13th, the Criminal Division 2 of the Eastern Branch of Busan District Prosecutors' Office announced that two men in their 20s, Mr. A and Mr. B, have been indicted without detention on charges of special trespassing, violation of the Animal Protection Act, special property damage, and violation of the Act on the Control of Firearms, Swords, and Explosives.

The Criminal Division 2 of the Eastern Branch of Busan District Prosecutors' Office announced that men in their 20s, Mr A and Mr B, have been indicted without detention on charges of special trespassing, violation of the Animal Protection Act, special property damage, and violation of the Act on the Control of Firearms, Swords, and Explosives. Photo by The Asia Business Daily database

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The case was found to involve a conspiracy among three men in their 20s. At the time of the incident, Mr. B, who was a sergeant in the Marine Corps, was on leave, as was Mr. C, a corporal in the same Marine Corps unit; they committed the crime together with Mr. A, a civilian. Mr. C was indicted first by the military prosecutor and is currently being tried in a military court. Mr. A and the others are accused of breaking into a restaurant in Irun-myeon, Geoje, at around 1:00 a.m. on June 8 of last year and firing BB guns multiple times at pet dogs that were tied up in the yard. It was revealed that they committed the crime in an especially cruel manner, including deliberately targeting the dogs' eyes.

Three pet dogs were injured in the incident. One of them had to undergo eye removal surgery due to corneal damage. Another died the day after the incident; however, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency indicated in its medical opinion that malignant lymphoma was the likely cause of death. As a result, since a direct causal relationship with the BB pellet shooting could not be established, related charges were not applied.

Initially, the suspects were charged with committing the crime against four pet dogs, but due to a lack of evidence that BB pellets were fired at one of the dogs, a non-prosecution disposition (insufficient evidence) was made. Beagle Rescue Network

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Initially, the suspects were charged with committing the crime against four pet dogs, but due to a lack of evidence that BB pellets were fired at one of the dogs, a non-prosecution disposition (insufficient evidence) was made. The suspects reportedly stated during the investigation that they had not seen the dog that died. Early in the investigation, after the suspects were identified, the cases involving Mr. B and Mr. C, who were military personnel, were transferred to the Marine Corps investigation unit. Subsequently, when Mr. B was discharged in December of last year, the case was handed over to the prosecutors, who, after supplementary investigation, brought Mr. A and Mr. B to trial.

After the case became public, calls for stronger penalties for animal abuse have spread throughout society. The animal rights group Beagle Rescue Network launched a petition immediately after the incident and collected more than 30,000 signatures within three days. In addition, a petition calling for legislative amendments to eradicate animal abuse was posted on the National Assembly public petition platform and received the consent of over 50,000 people within 30 days, resulting in its referral to the relevant standing committee.

The petition includes demands such as defining animals' legal status as "living beings" rather than "property" and further subdividing the types of abuse under the Animal Protection Act. Minister of Justice Jeong Seong-ho stated regarding the case, "Cruel crimes of animal abuse must be strictly punished," and added, "We will work to raise social awareness of animal rights and promote improvements to relevant systems." He further emphasized, "We will also re-promote the amendment to the Civil Act to remove the property status of animals, which was first proposed in 2021, after reaching national consensus."

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