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Horrible animal cruelty cases are often reported, and the number of such cases is steadily increasing every year and the methods are becoming more and more cruel.

The city of Seoul has even created a team dedicated to animal cruelty, including veterinarians, but there are still many issues to be solved in the future.



Correspondent Kim Sang-min reported.



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In August, two kittens were found dead two days in a row in a residential area in Gwangju.



A month later, in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, a young puppy with severe eye injuries appeared limping.



Both cases are presumed to be crimes of cruelty to animals.



Although the level of punishment has increased due to repeated revisions to the Animal Protection Act, the number of cases of cruelty to animals has more than tripled over the past six years.



In response to criticism that a more aggressive investigation is needed, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has created a new team of 12 investigators in the Minsaeng Judicial Police Corps dedicated to animal cruelty.



Two veterinarians were also added to the investigation staff to reflect the need for expertise in animal cruelty.



[Cho Jin-woo / Veterinarian / Seoul Metropolitan Police Department Investigator: Unprofessional manpower is difficult to judge at the scene and there are cases like this, and there are cases where the suspect is unfortunately missed or animal abuse is neglected. Due to being…

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Nevertheless, structural problems remain.



A typical example is the shortage of cadaveric autopsy personnel, which are essential to determine the cause of death of animals.



I am in charge of the Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock Quarantine Headquarters, but with the rapidly increasing number of requests, there are only two people in charge, and even this is being done in parallel with animal infectious diseases.



No matter how willing you are to investigate, there will inevitably be delays.



[Agricultural, Forestry and Livestock Quarantine Headquarters official: (due to lack of manpower) We are overloaded and we are struggling with each other, so the talk of a specialized 'veterinary forensic medicine center' keeps coming out.

I haven't come to a conclusion yet...

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By April next year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to increase the number of dedicated autopsy personnel to replace the quarantine headquarters at the Institute for Health and Environment, a direct agency, but it is unclear how much it will be.



(Video coverage: Chan-soo Lee, video editing: Ji-in Park, CG: Kim Jong-un)