Fined KRW 500,000 after being convicted of housebreaking
A woman in her 40s has been fined for allegedly trespassing into someone else’s yard to feed a stray cat.
On the 29th, Judge Kim Bo Ra of the Seoul Northern District Court Criminal Division 13 delivered a significant verdict. Park (44, female) was found guilty of trespassing, a serious offense, and was sentenced to a fine of KRW 500,000 ($440).
Park is accused of entering the yard through the front gate of the victim’s house in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, last June to feed a cat.
Park denied the charges during the trial, stating, “I did not enter the yard. I just stood outside the gate and called the cat.”
Despite the evidence, Park persisted in her denial, claiming she had only called the cat from outside the gate. The court, however, based its judgment on the victim’s consistent testimony and CCTV footage, which clearly showed Park entering the yard. This was not the first time Park had trespassed to feed a cat, leading to conflicts with the victim’s family.
The court stated, “It appears that the defendant had a dispute with the victim and their family due to the issue of feeding the cat in the victim’s yard even before committing this crime. Nevertheless, the defendant opened the victim’s front gate and entered the yard to feed the cat again. In the process, an argument with the victim ensued, disrupting the peace of the residence.”
Immediately after the verdict, Park filed an appeal with the court.