If there are five people in a supermarket, one of them would have a pet today. It is a certain fact that animals have become familiar to all of us as there are more than 100,000 people who have pets in their home. However, cruel abuse exists under the superiority of humans in the coexistence of bonding between humans and animals.
Animal abuse is generally defined as every act that cases unnecessary or unreasonable harm to animals that is not for the reasons of self-defense or survival. Animal cruelty is a serious problem because it is not just confined to simply the strong harming the weak. The two biggest problems are that animal maltreatment has a negative influence on our society and the other is people might overlook the danger of abuse, not acknowledging the victims are also valuable members of society. It is very unethical behavior to abuse and kill weak and incapable of speech animals because of human’s outpouring of emotion. In addition, torturing
animals can be an indicator of murder and all kinds of violence later in life. In fact, many criminals who commit brutal crimes confessed that they stabbed and hit animals a long time before committing their actual crimes.
In Korea, we often hear about the cases of harming and killing animals on the news. Vicious incidents, for example, cutting tail of a stray cat, beating a dog to death, throwing a cat out of high-rise apartment, killing ex-girlfriend’s pet still occur these days. Animal abuse happens as a result of a way of thinking that makes light of life and unthoughtful mindset toward animals. Some
people think the existence of animals is only for satisfying human’s convenience and needs but it is a completely anthropocentric point of view.

A while ago, animals were just hunting targets for humans but now they have become partner with humans as pets and companions. In the USA, they take severe disciplinary action against those who treat animals cruelly, but in Korea, it is only a slap on the wrist. Fortunately, the current government in Korea seems to make an effort to improve the rights of animal. It is expected that a law prohibiting animal abuse that was pointless so far, will be revised to strengthen punishment and define regulations very clearly under the name of “Super animal abuse prohibition”. It enables any abused animals to be rescued emergency, imposing business cancellation or suspension to corporations cruel to animals and restricting pet ownership to animal abusers. Moreover, ill-treatment acts will be classified in detail. The category will be expanded to killing, assault, abandonment and mistreatment. Especially, a person who kill animals will be sent to jail for under three years or fined 5,000,000 won to 30,000,000 won.
There is no society where only humans exist. We and animals has been living under the same sky, stepping on same land and breathe the same air. All living things on earth should live in harmony. People must not abuse animals just because they have the mere precedence over animals. Respecting life is not only for animals but it is also for us as well.