It was hard to imagine that ousted South Korean president Park Geun-hye could get any more unpopular in South Korea — until she moved out of the presidential palace and left her nine dogs behind.
Just days after being removed from office by the South Korean Constitutional Court over a massive corruption scandal, an animal rights group accused Park of animal abandonment for not taking the dogs with her.
Park’s neighbors had given her a pair of Jindo dogs, a Korean breed of hunting dogs, when she left for the presidential Blue House in 2013. The dogs recently gave birth to seven puppies, which are now considered too young to be separated from their mother, Blue House spokesman Kim Dong-jo said yesterday.
Kim said the dogs would continue to stay at the presidential residence until they are ready to be sent to their new owners.
Park told staff members to take good care of the dogs before vacating the Blue House on Sunday, he said.
Kim Ae-ra, who heads the Korea Alliance for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the group filed a complaint on Monday with the South Korean Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission over Park’s dogs.
The commission then asked the South Korean National Police Agency to look into it.
Officials from the police agency could not immediately confirm how the case would be treated.
It is unclear whether Park not taking the dogs with her qualifies as abandonment under the South Korean animal protection law, which defines lost or abandoned animals as those “wandering without an owner in public places” or “left deserted in paper boxes or other containers.”
Animal abandonment is punishable by a fine of up to 1 million won (US$873). People who fail to report an ownership change of a pet within 30 days can also face a fine of up to 500,000 won.
Park’s decision to leave the dogs behind touched off a heated reaction from dog lovers, who flooded social media with angry remarks.
“It seems that Park Geun-hye is a person who entirely lacks empathy, whether it’s for humans or for animals,” said Park Jeong-eon, a 38-year-old office worker.
Prosecutors plan to question Park Guen-hye next week over suspicions that she colluded with a friend to extort money and favors from companies, and allowed the friend to secretly interfere in state affairs.
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