[Courtesy of Care]
SEOUL -- A young man who uploaded a video of beating an innocent cat on social media will be investigated by South Korean police for animal abuse, Care, a Seoul-based animal rights group, said Friday.
Care said in a statement that it has asked for a police investigation into animal abuse by the man in his 20s. "We believe police will launch an investigation soon," Park Sang-wook, a Care official, told Aju News.
The horrific video which cornered many netizens into a shock this week showed an anonymous man physically abusing a cat while the animal shrieked and shivered in fear. The video sparked public anger, prompting Care to put a three million won (2,805 US dollars) bounty on the man's identity.
Through countless online hunts, the bounty was given to a helper who came up with the man's identity based on clues shown in a monitor in the video and tracked down the cat bully by searching social media accounts.
"The cat has been rescued but we could not meet the abuser because his parents handed us the animal," Park said, adding there was no critical injury when the cat was examined by a veterinarian.
"There are many people who are willing to adopt the friendly cat. We think it will find a new home soon," the official said.
Under an amended animal protection law which took effect in March, violators will face a jail term of up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million won. In February, a man identified by his surname Cho was slapped with a heavy fine of seven million won for abusing a cat. He had uploaded a video which showed him repeatedly throwing a cat against the wall.
Animal abusing has become a social issue in South Korea, a country that has been criticized by international groups for lack of animal protection mainly due to a deep-rooted practice of eating dog meat.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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