A man in his 20s has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for the brutal killing of 76 cats, marking one of South Korea’s most horrific cases of animal cruelty in recent memory.
The Changwon District Court in southeastern South Korea delivered the verdict last week, convicting the man under the country’s animal protection law. While the court did not disclose the identity of the perpetrator, details of his gruesome acts emerged during the trial.
According to the court documents viewed by The Associated Press, the man embarked on a spree of cat killings between December 2022 and September 2023. His actions stemmed from a deep-seated animosity towards the animals, reportedly triggered by incidents where cats scratched his car.
The court revealed that the man captured stray cats and acquired others from online platforms before subjecting them to unimaginable cruelty. Some were strangled to death, while others met their end at the hands of scissors. Shockingly, one cat was even run over with a car.
Labeling the crimes as “indescribably cruel” and premeditated, the court deemed the prison sentence as necessary punishment. Despite acknowledging the absence of prior criminal records and the man’s expressions of remorse, the severity of his actions warranted a significant penalty.
Furthermore, the court noted that the man’s mental health condition played a role in motivating his crimes, though specifics were not disclosed.
In response to the verdict, Borami Seo, a director at the South Korea office of the Humane Society International, remarked, “The sentence reflects Korean society’s increasing concern for animal welfare and intolerance for senseless cruelty such as this.” Seo also emphasized the urgency of passing the Civil Act amendment, which would legally recognize animals as living beings and bolster their protection under the law.