Left at a Pet Hotel and Cut Off Contact for Over Two Years... Yet Not "Abandonment"?

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■ Broadcast: SBS "News Hunters" Monday to Friday (18:50 – 19:50)
■ Anchors: Kim Jong-won, Yoon Tae-jin
■ Panelists: Jung Jun-ho (SBS Reporter), Lee Kyung-min (Attorney)
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A dog owner left their pet at a pet hotel, failed to pay the fees, and went completely off the grid for over two years.
Pushed to their limit, the pet hotel tried to hand the dog over to a city-run animal shelter, but the shelter refused, stating that "leaving a pet at a hotel does not constitute abandonment."
The police also closed the case as "no charges," concluding that it did not legally fall under "abandonment." Under what circumstances does the law define something as "animal abandonment"? Can pet owners who go dark after dropping their pets off at a hotel truly escape punishment?

※ More details can be found in the video.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.