Allegations of Stray Cat Abuse at Boryeong Lodging Facility; Operator Says, "We Never Hit It"

[Financial News]  Police have launched an investigation after allegations emerged that a representative of a lodging facility in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, abused a stray cat and caused its death.
On the 28th, Yonhap News Agency and Boryeong Police Station in South Chungcheong Province reported that police had received a criminal complaint and an accusation calling for an investigation into a representative of a local lodging business on suspicion of violating the Animal Protection Act and other laws.
Person A, who was at the scene, and animal rights group CARE jointly filed the complaints. They alleged that Person B abused a stray cat that entered the lodging facility on the afternoon of the 27th, causing it to die.
According to the complainants, two stray cats entered the lodging facility, and Person B followed them inside carrying metal tongs and a broom. They claimed that sounds resembling something being struck with a blunt object were heard dozens of times over about five minutes. Person B then allegedly came outside holding the scruff of a limp, motionless stray cat.
Person A reportedly visited the lodging facility with his heavily pregnant wife and their eight- and six-year-old children, where he saw the limp, motionless cat. After confronting Person B, he received a refund for the lodging fee and left the scene.

The complainants also reportedly asked that Person B face charges of emotional child abuse. They included alleged violations of the Child Welfare Act in their complaints, saying, "The children who watched the cat were deeply distressed and cried."
Police inspected the scene and also conducted an in-person interview with Person B. The animal protection team at Boryeong City Hall is also verifying the facts with Person B.
Person B denied the allegations, saying he had never hit or killed a stray cat.
Regarding what happened, Person B told Yonhap News Agency, "Two stray cats entered an area used by guests, so I went in with a broom to drive them outside, hitting fixtures and other objects to shoo them away. One went outside, while the other, which appeared to be about three to four months old, got caught in a gap in the insect screen. I grabbed it, pulled it out, and carried it outside."
Person B repeatedly denied that the abuse allegations were true. He said, "A one-sided claim is spreading online, but it is not true. I never hit or killed the cat. I usually prepare feed separately and give it to stray cats, so there are five or six that stay nearby. To call this abuse is absurd," maintaining that he had been unfairly accused.


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter