Vicious cat killer given suspended sentence, animal rights groups outraged

A district court sentenced a man to a suspended prison term for killing a stray cat by trapping it in a rubber traffic cone, stomping it to death and setting it on fire, court officials said Wednesday.

A man is seen torturing a cat in Incheon in June 2025 in this surveillance camera footage. [KOREAN ANIMAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION]

A district court sentenced a man to a suspended prison term for killing a stray cat by trapping it in a rubber traffic cone, stomping it to death and setting it on fire, court officials said Wednesday.

Animal rights groups condemned the sentence for being too lenient, saying the punishment did not match the severity of the crime and failed to meet sentencing guidelines meant to deter animal abuse.

The Incheon District Court sentenced the man to six months in prison, suspended for two years, for violating the Animal Protection Act, according to the ruling.

The judge also ordered the man to complete 80 hours of community service and attend 40 hours of lectures designed to prevent repeat offenses involving animal abuse.

"The defendant killed a stray cat in a cruel manner, making the nature of the crime extremely serious,” the judge ruled, but cited mitigating factors, including that the man admitted to the crime, expressed remorse and had no prior convictions for similar offenses or any criminal record involving punishment beyond a fine.

The court found that the man assaulted the stray cat at around 11:53 p.m. on June 27 on a street in Sinheung-dong, Jung District, Incheon. He caught the animal, trapped it inside a safety cone and beat it with his bare hands before repeatedly stomping on it, killing the cat.

Investigators said the man set the cone on fire and later discarded the cat in a nearby flower bed before leaving the scene.

Animal rights groups criticized the ruling.

"No grounds or justification can be found for suspending the sentence for a defendant for whom prosecutors sought a prison term,” the Korean Animal Welfare Association said in a statement. “The ruling has effectively made hard-won sentencing guidelines meaningless.”

New sentencing guidelines that took effect in July recommend a basic prison term of four months to one year or a fine of 3 million to 12 million won ($2,030 to $81,220) for cases involving the killing of animals. In cases involving particularly cruel methods or multiple aggravating factors, courts may impose prison terms of eight months to two years or fines ranging from 5 million to 20 million won.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY KIM EUN-BIN [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]