Target: Kim Dowan, Chief Prosecutor of the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office, South Korea
Goal: Ensure full criminal prosecution of the individual arrested in connection with the alleged serial burning of community cats over a nine-month period.
Over the course of nine months — from July 2025 to March 2026 — seven community cats were allegedly found with severe burns to their heads and bodies in the same commercial parking area in Daejeon. It is reported that the first two cats discovered in February were found with severe burns to their heads, and that several of the animals were so badly injured that they died or required euthanasia. Police have now arrested a man in his 70s in connection with these alleged attacks and say the suspect partially admitted the offences, with authorities preparing a detention warrant. The alleged serial nature of these attacks — targeting the same location repeatedly over nine months, with escalating numbers of victims — suggests a pattern of deliberate, premeditated cruelty.
The burning of animals is among the most sadistic forms of animal cruelty imaginable, inflicting prolonged and extreme pain on creatures who had no means of escape or defense. Community cats, who live in public spaces and are cared for by local volunteers, are particularly vulnerable — relying on the goodwill of people around them and entirely exposed to anyone who chooses to harm them. Seven of these cats were allegedly set upon in this location over a nine-month period, with several not surviving what was done to them.
South Korea’s Animal Protection Act provides for serious criminal penalties in cases of intentional animal abuse, and the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office must pursue this case with the maximum force available under the law. Sign this petition to demand full prosecution and the strongest possible sentence for the individual allegedly responsible for this prolonged campaign of cruelty.
PETITION LETTER:
Prosecutor Kim Dowan,
We are writing to urge your office to pursue the maximum penalties available under South Korea’s Animal Protection Act against the individual arrested in connection with the alleged serial burning of community cats in Daejeon. According to police, from July 2025 to March 2026 — a period of nine months — seven cats were found with severe burns in the same commercial parking area, with several dying or requiring euthanasia due to the severity of their injuries. The suspect has reportedly partially admitted the offences, and police are preparing a detention warrant.
The deliberate burning of animals over a sustained period represents one of the most serious and premeditated forms of animal cruelty. Each of the seven cats allegedly targeted in this location was a vulnerable community animal with no means of self-protection. The serial and repetitive nature of the alleged attacks — returning to the same location, targeting the same community of animals, over an extended period — underscores the deliberateness and severity of the conduct for which the accused must now be held fully criminally accountable.
We respectfully but firmly demand that your office pursue conviction and the maximum available sentence under South Korean law for all offences established by the evidence. The cats who survived this ordeal, and those who seemingly did not, deserve the full force of justice. Please ensure this case is prosecuted with the seriousness it demands.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Min Sung Park
