Kim Sung, former chief of Jangheung County in South Jeolla Province, and an official at the county's animal shelter have been accused in a complaint filed with police. The complaint alleges that abandoned animals died en masse due to negligence at the facility.
According to the Jangheung Police Station on Tuesday, officers opened an investigation Monday after receiving a complaint against Kim and the shelter's staff. The complaint accuses them of violating the Animal Protection Act and other laws.
The animal protection organization that filed the complaint claimed that Jangheung County's negligent management of the shelter led to the deaths of hundreds of abandoned animals.
The group also said the county failed to separate animals according to individual traits such as sex and aggression, resulting in repeated inbreeding and biting incidents among the animals. It added that the county left the problem unaddressed.
In addition, the group said the county failed to take fundamental corrective measures, such as expanding its budget or staff, despite repeated criticism from the Jangheung County Council since 2022.
The allegations surfaced after the animal protection organization recently visited the shelter and discovered 172 dog and cat carcasses in a freezer, exposing the facility's poor management.
A joint inspection by the Gwangju-South Jeolla Unified Special City also found that the shelter was housing 158 animals, far exceeding its capacity of 60. Its overall management system was in disarray.
Police plan to question the complainant and summon relevant officials to establish the facts based on the allegations in the complaint.
123@heraldcorp.com
