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Man fined 3 million won for killing stray cat on his campground

Published: 09 May. 2025, 13:05

An illustration of animal abuse against cats [JOONGANG ILBO]

A man in his 70s has been fined for abusing and killing a stray cat because he believed it had torn open a garbage bag at the recycling station on the campground he operates.

The Chuncheon District Court sentenced the man to a fine of 3 million won ($2,140) for violating the Animal Protection Act and committing assault, according to the legal community on Friday.

He was indicted for throwing a rock at a stray cat that was in a tree in Inje, Gangwon, around 9 a.m. on Feb. 28 last year. After the cat fell to the ground, he unleashed his dog and allowed it to maul the cat to death. He was also accused of assaulting a neighbor who confronted him, asking, “Why did you kill the cat?”

Investigators determined that he committed the crime out of anger because stray cats had repeatedly torn open standard garbage bags at the recycling station of the campground he runs.

A couple in the neighborhood who had been caring for the cat protested, saying, “Why are you killing our cat?”

The man assaulted the couple as well. He shoved one of them, choked the other who tried to intervene, struck their face with his hand, headbutted them in the face and stomped on them several times.

“The court took into account the defendant’s lack of remorse, his failure to admit wrongdoing and the absence of a settlement with the victims in determining the sentence,” the judge said.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]