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The Korea Times reported on 4/5/2021, “On March 7, a dog was spotted tied to the rear of an SUV vehicle driving 80 kilometers per hour on a road in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province. The dog was hanging unconscious with her paws ravaged. On March 24, the Korean Animal Welfare Association (KAWA) filed a police report against the driver and owner of the dog for such animal cruelty that resulted in her death.” During the police investigation, the suspect reportedly said he had no intentions of killing his dog, claiming he had tied the dog to his truck for exercise and then accelerated because he had forgotten about her.’ The incident prompted an outcry on social media calling for severe punishment. Click HERE to read the article.

The Korean Animal Welfare Association (KAWA) shared on 4/9/2021, “One day after the complaint was filed by KAWA, the Intellectual Crime Investigation Team of the Sangju Police identified the suspect through his vehicle number and conducted a prompt investigation. On April 1, the case was sent with the confirmation of violation of the Animal Protection Act to the Sangju branch of the Daegu District Prosecution Service.

During the course of the investigation, the murderer confessed that he committed the act but claimed he had no intention of harming the dog. He said, ‘I usually tied my dog to the back of my car to make it exercise but I forgot this day and sped up. I couldn’t go to the hospital because the incident occurred on Sunday, and I found her dead the next day.’ The culprit attempted a cover-up but the investigation revealed that he made all false statements.”

As we await the prosecutor’s decision, KAWA emphasized that we must keep the pressure on. Tragically, in South Korea, the overwhelming majority of cases of animal abuse—from the thousands of dog meat farm butchers who commit the unspeakable to companion animal horrors like the one that is the subject of this petition – are not taken seriously. If there are charges brought at all, they are trivial compared to the level of barbarity of such crimes.

Whether government and law enforcement, or South Korean companies like Samsung, LG, Kia and Hyundai, most of them turn a blind eye and enable the rampant dog abuse happening in their country. This defenseless dog, tied to the back of and dragged by a car, likely died an agonizing death. However, her death must not be in vain—we must double down on our efforts to call out acts of cruelty when they happen and to guarantee, rather than the all-too-common slap on the wrist, that the punishment fits the crime.

👉 Click HERE for the Sangju Police’s response to our e-People petition – Punish the murderer who dragged a dog to her death with a Hyundai Galloper in Sangju, South Korea.