[CW/TW: Animal abuse and graphic descriptions ahead.]
Several dog and cat corpses were found inside garbage bags in an apartment in Wanju, prompting police to launch an investigation.
According to an SBS report on October 21, decayed animal remains were discovered on October 13 at the home of a man in his 20s, identified only as 'A,' in Wanju, Jeollabuk-do.
Upon inspecting the trash bags inside the apartment, authorities found the bodies of four animals, including dogs and cats. At the scene, the corpses began to decay and leak blood from the bags. Additionally, two dehydrated dogs and four cats were rescued from the scene.
'A' is suspected of adopting pets from cities including Daegu, Gwangju, and Nonsan through a secondhand transaction platform, but failing to properly care for them.
According to reports, he presented himself as an "Animal expert" and gained the trust of adopters by making statements suggesting he was well-off. He allegedly claimed things such as, "I earn 300 million KRW (approx. 209,473 USD) a year," "I invested 1 billion KRW (approx. 698,248 USD) in cats," and "I work with CEO Kang Hyung Wook at Bodeum Company," though these claims have not been verified.
The man's suspicious behavior, such as failing to provide any updates on the animals' well-being after adoption, eventually led some adopters to report him to the police.
Police are currently investigating the man for violation of the Animal Protection Act and have requested an autopsy on the recovered animal corpses. A police official stated, "We need to determine whether there was any direct physical abuse."
However, it is expected to take about a month to receive the autopsy results, so the exact cause of death and whether abuse occurred remains unconfirmed.
Meanwhile, although secondhand transaction platforms prohibit animal sales, adoptions are still reportedly taking place online.
Yoo Soo Kyung, head of the Jeonju Stray Cat Protection Association, told the media, "Some users repeatedly change accounts to continue adopting and abandoning pets," adding, "Policy improvements are needed, such as an automated system to block posts about animal transactions."
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