Identified only as ‘Yu,’ the man explained his shocking behaviour as a reaction to the children teasing the animals.
He claimed that the kids had teased another hamster to death, and he wanted to show them ‘how dear life is’ with the stunt.
Even more bizarrely, Yu then tried to justify his behaviour by saying he was ‘afraid of rats.’
Shocked parents filed a complaint with police after being told of the incident, and Yu was forced to attend the local station to speak about the incident.
‘I couldn’t control the situation and couldn’t stand it’ he told Yonhap News Agency.
‘While watching the hamsters die from teasing, I though I should teach the children it was wrong to make light of life,’ he added.
Yu has since apologised to the children for the traumatic incident.