Verdict in the Pasha Case: What the Lack of Jail Time Reveals About Animal Cruelty Sentencing in South Korea

posted by KoreanDogs.org team on February 14,2026 in Uncategorized

We previously shared CARE’s story regarding the horrific death of Pasha, a Border Collie who was dragged behind an electric bike by his owner and denied emergency care due to the calculated cruelty of his owner and the negligence of local officials. This tragic case, which saw Pasha lose his life during the “golden hour” while authorities stood by, sparked a national outcry and a movement for “Pasha’s Law” to ensure no animal is ever again treated as disposable. Below is the update on the court’s verdict for the perpetrator of this heartbreaking crime:

Sharing for Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE)

Verdict in the Pasha Case

Today, the Cheonan Branch of the Daejeon District Court sentenced the defendant—who tied his dog to an electric bicycle and dragged it to death—to six months in prison, suspended for two years, along with 200 hours of community service and 40 hours of mandatory animal cruelty prevention education.

📌Legal Interpretation: A six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, means the defendant will not serve jail time unless he commits another offense during the two-year suspension. Essentially, it functions as probation rather than actual imprisonment.

Case Summary

On August 22 of last year, during extreme summer heat, the defendant tied his large dog, Pasha, to an electric bicycle and rode along the Cheonancheon walking trail at 10–15 km/h for over 30 minutes. Pasha ran while bleeding, eventually collapsing with foam at his mouth.

Bystanders witnessed the incident and tried to intervene. Instead of providing urgent aid, the defendant argued with them and failed to take immediate rescue measures. Pasha ultimately died.

Key Findings of the Court

The court determined:

The defendant showed no genuine remorse.
He engaged in verbal disputes with bystanders instead of rescuing the dog.
His actions directly caused Pasha’s death.
Eventual intent (dolus eventualis) was recognized.

However, the court concluded that there was insufficient evidence of direct, deliberate intent to kill. Considering the defendant’s lack of prior criminal record and strong social ties, the court imposed a suspended sentence.

A Sentence We Cannot Accept

The court acknowledged the lack of remorse, the failure to rescue, and eventual intent. Yet:

Is this sentence adequate for a life taken with such cruelty?
Should the death of an animal result in a suspended sentence simply because the perpetrator is a first-time offender or “well-connected”?
If the victim had been human, would the same leniency have applied?

Today’s ruling confirms that animal abuse is a crime and that eventual intent can be legally recognized. But it also highlights the current limitations of animal cruelty sentencing standards in South Korea.

Pasha’s story does not end here. We will demand stronger accountability. We will push for change. We begin again—in the name of Pasha’s Law.

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✍🏼 Sign the Petition

Call for Action

👉 Click HERE to file a petition with the South Korean government through e-People online. (You can use our “Suggested message” below or write your own.)

📌 Need help with the e-People petition? Click HERE for instructions.

👉 📧 Send emails.

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👉 📬 Send letters to the South Korean Government.

National Assembly of the Republic of Korea
(07233) 1 Uisadang-daero, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul
South Korea

Office of the President of the Republic of Korea
(04383) 22 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
South Korea

Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA)
Sejong Government Complex
(30110) 94 Dasom 2-ro, Sejong
South Korea

📬Addresses in Korean:

National Assembly of the Republic of Korea
대한민국 국회
(07233) 서울특별시 영등포구 의사당대로 1
South Korea

Office of the President of the Republic of Korea
대한민국 대통령실
(04383) 서울특별시 용산구 이태원로 22
South Korea

Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA)
농림축산식품부 장관
(30110) 세종특별자치시 다솜2로 94
정부세종청사
South Korea

📝 Suggested message

🐾 Pasha’s Death Demands Justice: End Impunity for Animal Cruelty in South Korea

To:

The Office of the President of the Republic of Korea
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (Animal Welfare Division)
The National Police Agency
Supreme Prosecutor’s Office
Cheonan City Government and Cheonan City Council

Dear President Lee and Esteemed Officials,

I write to you with a heavy heart and deep outrage over the horrific abuse and preventable death of a dog named Pasha—a case that has laid bare the failures of South Korea’s system to protect companion animals and hold abusers accountable.

I urge you to watch these videos to understand the severity of Pasha’s case: https://youtube.com/shorts/bLViGrDUA2U
https://www.youtube.com/live/4b8gEVxE_V4

Pasha, a Border Collie, was tied to an electric bicycle and dragged at 10–15 km/h for more than 30 minutes in sweltering summer heat. He collapsed, bleeding, crying out in pain, and foaming at the mouth—yet his owner did nothing, taking no action to seek emergency care or save him.

Pasha’s suffering was witnessed by passersby, yet despite reports to the authorities, he received no urgent care. His life ended under the indifferent gaze of the person who should have protected him. Even worse, authorities returned his body to the abuser, destroying critical evidence.

The Cheonan Branch of the Daejeon District Court responded to this unthinkable cruelty with six months in prison, suspended for two years, along with community service and mandatory education. In effect, the perpetrator will not serve any jail time unless he commits another offense during the suspension period—meaning he faces no real punishment for taking a life. The court acknowledged the defendant’s lack of remorse, his failure to rescue, and his eventual intent to harm, yet leniency was granted because he was a “first-time offender” with “strong social ties.”

This verdict is unacceptable. A life brutally ended deserves far more than a probationary sentence. If Pasha had been a human child, would such leniency have been considered justice? The message this ruling sends is clear: in South Korea, extreme cruelty to animals can go unpunished.

I urge the South Korean government to act decisively and urgently:

1. Strengthen the Animal Protection Act so that severe acts of cruelty carry meaningful criminal penalties, including mandatory imprisonment.
2. Hold abusers fully accountable, ensuring that cruelty is met with swift and proportionate punishment.
3. Investigate and discipline officials who fail to enforce the law, obstruct rescues, or allow abuse to continue unchecked.
4. Support animal welfare organizations with the legal authority and resources to intervene in emergencies and prevent cruelty.

An online petition is now active, calling for your immediate action: https://chng.it/2jwfTXrzhY. Pasha’s death is a stain on our society. If we allow this injustice to stand, we condone cruelty and send a message that taking an innocent life carries no real consequence. South Korea has the opportunity—and the duty—to protect its most vulnerable companions, punish cruelty, and reform a system that has failed Pasha.

Justice must be served. Pasha’s suffering cannot be forgotten.

Sincerely,

[Your name, city, country]

📝 Suggested message in Korean

🐾 파샤의 죽음: 동물학대에 대한 무관용과 정의 실현을 촉구합니다

수신:

대한민국 대통령실
농림축산식품부 동물복지정책과
경찰청
대검찰청
천안시청 및 천안시의회

이재명 대통령님 및 관계자 여러분께,

저는 강아지 파샤가 당한 끔찍한 학대와 처절한 죽음에 대해 깊은 분노와 참담함을 느끼며 이 글을 씁니다. 이 사건은 대한민국이 반려동물을 보호하고 학대자를 책임지게 하는 시스템의 심각한 실패를 여실히 드러냈습니다.

파샤 사건의 참상을 이해하시려면 아래 영상을 확인해 주십시오:
https://youtube.com/shorts/bLViGrDUA2U
https://www.youtube.com/live/4b8gEVxE_V4

파샤는 콜리견으로, 전기자전거에 묶인 채 시속 10–15km로 30분 이상 끌려가며, 뜨거운 여름 햇살 아래 극심한 고통을 겪었습니다. 그는 쓰러지고, 피를 흘리며 고통스러운 비명을 질렀지만, 주인은 단 한 번도 긴급 치료를 시도하거나 살리려는 행동을 하지 않았습니다.

목격자들이 있었음에도 불구하고, 신고 후에도 당국은 긴급 구조를 하지 않았습니다. 그의 삶은 보호해야 할 사람이 무관심하게 바라보는 가운데 끝났습니다. 더 충격적인 사실은, 당국이 그의 시신을 학대자에게 돌려보내 중요한 증거를 파괴했다는 점입니다.

대전지방법원 천안지원은 이 상상할 수 없는 잔혹행위에 대해 피고인에게 징역 6개월에 집행유예 2년, 사회봉사 200시간, 동물학대 예방 교육 40시간 수강을 선고했습니다. 그러나 이 판결로 인해 피고인은 실제로 단 한순간도 구금되지 않으며, 잔인한 동물학대 행위에 대한 실질적인 책임을 사실상 지지 않게 되었습니다.

법원은 피고인의 반성 없음, 구조 의무 불이행, 그리고 미필적 고의를 인정했음에도 불구하고, “초범”이며 “사회적 유대관계가 높다”는 이유로 관대한 판결을 내렸습니다.

이 판결은 결코 받아들일 수 없습니다. 잔혹하게 끝난 한 생명은 단순한 집행유예 이상의 엄중한 책임과 처벌을 요구합니다. 만약 파샤가 인간 아이였다면, 이러한 관대한 판결이 과연 정의로 받아들여졌겠습니까? 이번 판결이 우리 사회에 던지는 메시지는 분명합니다. 대한민국에서는 극심한 동물학대조차 실질적인 처벌로 이어지지 않을 수 있다는 것입니다.

저는 대한민국 정부가 즉각적이고 단호한 조치를 취할 것을 강력히 촉구합니다.

1. 동물보호법 강화: 심각한 학대 행위에 대해 실질적인 형사처벌과 의무적 징역형이 적용되도록 법을 개정·강화할 것.
2. 학대자 책임 강화: 잔혹한 학대 행위에 대해 신속하고 엄정한 수사가 이루어지고, 그에 상응하는 법적 책임을 철저히 물을 것.
3. 공무원·경찰 책임 확보: 법 집행을 소홀히 하거나 구조를 방해한 공무원 및 경찰에 대해 철저한 조사와 엄중한 징계를 실시할 것.
4. 동물권 단체 제도적 지원: 긴급 구조와 학대 예방 활동이 방해받지 않도록 법적 권한을 명확히 부여하고, 필요한 제도적·재정적 지원을 제공할 것.

정부의 신속하고 단호한 대응을 촉구하는 온라인 청원이 현재 진행 중입니다: https://chng.it/2jwfTXrzhY

파샤의 죽음은 우리 사회의 양심에 깊은 상처를 남겼습니다. 이 부당한 판결을 방치한다면, 우리는 잔혹함을 묵인하고 책임 없는 폭력을 용인하는 사회라는 메시지를 스스로에게 그리고 세계에 보내게 될 것입니다. 대한민국은 가장 취약한 생명을 보호하고, 학대를 엄중히 처벌하며, 파샤에게 실패한 이 제도를 바로잡아야 할 책임이 있습니다.

정의는 반드시 실현되어야 합니다. 파샤의 고통은 결코 잊혀져서는 안 됩니다.

감사합니다.

👉 Post on X and Bluesky.

.@Jaemyung_Lee 🚨Justice for Pasha: The Dog Tortured, Dragged for Miles, and Abandoned to Suffer a Heartbreaking Death in Cheonan #AnimalWelfareKorea #StopAnimalAbuse ✍️Petition https://chng.it/2jwfTXrzhY ✊Act Now https://koreandogs.org/verdict-pasha-case/ 👉FB https://www.facebook.com/koreandogs/