A South Korean man in his 20s has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country’s most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years. According to a court verdict seen by the Associated Press, the man, who was not identified, harbored a deep hatred for cats after they scratched his car and went on a cat-killing spree between December 2022 and September 2023. The court found that he had caught stray cats and adopted others from online sites before strangling some to death and killing others with scissors. He also ran over one cat with his car. The court ruled that the prison sentence was unavoidable because he repeatedly committed “indescribably cruel” crimes in a premeditated manner. However, it also took into account the fact that the man had no criminal records and had repented his crimes. The man’s unspecified mental health status was also found to be a factor in his crimes. The man has appealed the ruling. “This sentence reflects Korean society’s increasing concern for animal welfare and intolerance for senseless cruelty such as this,” said Borami Seo, a director of the South Korea office of the Humane Society International. “This cruelty case also emphasizes the importance of passing the Civil Act amendment that will legally recognize animals as living beings and further strengthen their protection in law,” Seo added.
South Korean Man Receives 14-Month Prison Sentence for Killing 76 Cats in Gruesome Animal Cruelty Case
