A 65-year-old man, surnamed Park, was booked without detention on suspicion of shooting and running over a Jindo dog, according to Busan Gangseo Police Station on Monday.

The Jindo breed, designated as the nation’s 53rd national treasure in 1962, is so-named because it is believed to have originated from Jindo Island.

Park is accused of shooting the Jindo twice with his air rifle and then running over the dog with his car. The dog was killed from the impact of the car at 8:20 a.m. Sunday, near a farmhouse in Gangseo district, Busan. 

The owner of the dog reportedly tried to catch Park, but he fled the scene immediately, disappearing from sight.

Park had fired two shots at the Jindo dog with his air rifle, which was intended for vermin hunting, police said Sunday. Because vermin can cause potential damage to farm crops, the South Korean government allows citizens to carry high-powered air rifles to control vermin after earning a firearms license.

Park alleged that he had “killed the Jindo dog because it posed a threat to human life.”

Police confirmed that Park went through proper steps in acquiring his firearm license, but plan to further question Park on his intentions to kill the Jindo.

By Catherine Chung (cec82@heraldcorp.com)