S. Korean man sentenced to 10 months in prison for shooting dog with arrow
By Bryan Ke
A South Korean man has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for shooting a stray dog with an arrow he purchased online, citing that he did so to avenge his chickens.
Key points:
- The Jeju District Court sentenced the man, whose name was not revealed, on Thursday for violating South Korea’s Animal Protection Act.
- At the trial, the court noted that the defendant, who is in his 40s, was found guilty “considering the testimonies from the witnesses, photos taken during the surgery (of the dog) and evidence of the crime including the arrow.”
- The incident occurred in Seogwipo, a city in Jeju Island, on Aug. 25, 2022.
The details:
- The defendant was accused of shooting the stray dog, a malamute mixed breed, with a bow he made from wood and fishing wire. During their investigation, authorities discovered that the man bought 20 arrows online in August 2021.
- In his statement to investigators, the man claimed that the dog had allegedly killed his chickens in the past, adding that he never realized that his arrow would hit the canine.
- The dog was found the following day wandering in an area about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) away from where it was shot, with the 70-centimeter-long (27.5-inch-long) arrow still lodged in its body. Staff from Hondidorang, an animal rescue shelter in South Korea, saved the dog and later named him Cheonji.
- The man was eventually arrested after a month-long manhunt in March 2023 and was indicted with no detention for animal cruelty in July. Hondidorang celebrated the news of the man’s arrest in an Instagram post afterward.
Cheonji’s current whereabouts:
- An American woman in her 30s adopted Cheonji and left for New York on November 29, 2023. South Korean news outlets reported that the woman had taken in another stray dog in the past.
- Videos uploaded by Hondidorang to its Instagram on Thursday show Cheonji happily spending his time with his new family. Additionally, the animal rescue center mentioned the dog recently attended a friend’s birthday.
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