▲ Private Revenge Terror Organization
Police have apprehended 65 individuals involved in so-called "paid revenge" crimes, where perpetrators are hired to carry out acts of retaliation on behalf of others. Of those arrested, 23 have been detained.
Since the first incident was reported in Daegu last August, a total of 87 such cases have been confirmed nationwide as of this month.
Police have successfully identified suspects in 80 of these cases, while the remaining 7 are currently under investigation.
The primary method used by these criminal organizations involves receiving payment from a client and then deploying operatives to commit malicious acts of terror, such as dumping waste in front of victims' homes or spray-painting property.
Authorities have recently apprehended key figures, including Telegram channel operators and those responsible for managing the illicit funds.
The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency's Metropolitan Investigation Division arrested a Telegram channel operator, identified as A, on June 15 for allegedly orchestrating 9 revenge attacks across regions including Incheon, Busan, Gyeonggi, North Gyeongsang, and Jeju.
Four operatives who carried out the revenge acts under these instructions were also apprehended and subsequently detained.
The Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency's Metropolitan Investigation Division has also detained four individuals responsible for managing funds, charging them with receiving payment for the crimes and distributing the proceeds using burner accounts and cryptocurrency.
The number of revenge-for-hire crimes surged from 6 cases at the end of last year to 62 cases between January and March of this year.
From April to the present, 19 such crimes have occurred.
However, the National Police Agency stated that the trend has been on the decline since the Seoul Yangcheon Police Station arrested three members of an organization in March for illegally distributing personal information through a food delivery service.
Metropolitan investigation units across the country are continuing their investigations into other higher-level figures and the clients who commissioned these acts.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.