Seoul: An appellate court on Thursday reduced the prison term for the leader of a South Korean animal rights group accused of euthanizing stray pets, stating that the act was not done entirely out of “personal interest”. Park So-yeon, chief executive of the Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE), had been previously indicted in 2019 for euthanizing 98 homeless animals. This was reportedly done to make more space in the animal shelter and to lower the treatment costs for animals between 2015 and 2018.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Park was also accused of illegally entering two breeding farms and taking five dogs valued at approximately 1.3 million won (US$932.53) in August 2018. The Seoul Central District Court issued a two-year prison term, suspended for four years, on charges of violating the Animal Protection Act. This effectively overturned a lower court’s initial ruling of a two-year prison sentence.
The court noted that Park had admitted to all charges up to the current ruling and expressed c
ommitment to continue her activism without future legal issues. They conveyed trust in her actions, suggesting they were not solely for personal gain and acknowledged her remorse. Nevertheless, the court maintained the previous decision that sentenced Park to four months in prison, suspended for two years, for disclosing the identity of the whistle-blower who revealed the euthanizing activities to the media.