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Home intruding cat killer gets suspended six month sentence

Published: 26 Apr. 2026, 12:37 Updated: 26 Apr. 2026, 12:38

The Suwon District Court’s Yeoju branch is pictured in this undated file photo. [JOONGANG ILBO]

A man who broke into an ex-girlfriend's home and beat her pet cat to death has received a suspended prison sentence.

The suspect was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, on charges including violation of the Animal Protection Act, trespassing and destruction of property, the Suwon District Court ruled Saturday. The court also ordered 80 hours of community service.

The suspect entered the former girlfriend's residence in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on the afternoon of Aug. 23 last year. He pressed the doorbell to confirm no one was home, then entered by keying in a door lock passcode learned during the relationship.

An investigation found that he had beaten the cat multiple times and thrown it against the bed, claiming the animal had scratched him. When the cat resisted after he took it to a sink to wash off his blood, he punched it and pressed hard on its neck, causing its death.

"The defendant unlawfully entered the residence of the victim, a former partner, and cruelly killed a pet cat, and given the circumstances, nature and method of the crime, the conduct is significantly poor in character," the court said in its ruling. "The fact that the defendant has not been forgiven by the victim is a circumstance that weighs against the defendant."

His acknowledgment of wrongdoing and expression of remorse, as well as an absence of any prior criminal record, were considered favorable factors in sentencing, the court added.

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 PARK JONG-SUH [[email protected]]