Feces, spray paint and mayhem: Korea’s revenge-for-hire networks draw clients, gangs and nationwide police scrutiny

How far will you go to get revenge?

Some go as far as to pay for revenge-for-hire services, where — for a fee — rogues will smear filth on the victim’s front door or pour urine onto the victim’s property, among other acts.

In recent years, a growing number of people have opted to commit crimes without getting their hands dirty.

So-called “revenge services,” where clients pay gangs to carry out offenses on their behalf, have become popular. Since police identified the country's first revenge-for-hire case in Daegu in August last year, nationwide cases had reached 87 as of June, according to the Korean National Police Agency.

Whether the 87 cases represent a rise or decline compared to the past is unclear, as data on cases that occurred before police discovered the first case last year are unavailable.

Gangs behind these crimes operate on platforms including Telegram and advertise their services online to attract people who may be interested, such as those involved in financial disputes, extramarital affairs or school violence.

“In most cases I’ve seen, clients ask the gangs to throw filth at the victim’s front door or smear it with feces,” a police officer in Seoul told the Korea JoongAng Daily on the condition of anonymity. “Some ask them to spray something that smells bad, splatter red paint across the entrance or write the victim’s name on the door.”

Revenge-for-hire crimes have come under scrutiny in recent months, with President Lee Jae Myung stressing on June 22 that such offenses are “serious crimes that can result in imprisonment.”

Police have not stayed quiet, arresting multiple ringleaders in these crimes in recent months.

How revenge-for-hire crimes work 

Operators behind these revenge-for-hire crimes are not private detective agencies that work within the legal framework but criminal groups that communicate secretly online.

“Operators create private Telegram group chats and advertise their service extensively,” the police officer said. “Much of the advertising itself also takes place on Telegram.”

Once clients spot those ads, they negotiate a deal with the operators on the extent of the damage and the service fee. Prices vary depending on the service. One revenge-for-hire service reportedly charged 450,000 won ($330) for an attack involving feces and 150,000 won for one involving urine.

To a lesser extent, perpetrators also spray-paint or throw trash at the victim’s door, which also counts as a crime.

“People pay a certain amount and ask someone to retaliate against a particular person,” the police officer said. “The person who receives the request then hires an actual perpetrator, telling them, ‘I’ll pay you this much if you do this.’ The person who carries the crime out does so without knowing who originally made the request.”

The perpetrators are often unemployed people who urgently need money, according to police.

However, when this reporter tried to find group chats for revenge-for-hire crimes by searching for related terms on Telegram on multiple occasions this month, no results appeared. It is uncertain whether the government has forced these group chats to shut down or whether operators have moved to a different platform.

How far they go 

Most revenge-for-hire crimes entail vandalism rather than physical violence.

“The most common form of retaliation is smearing feces on a victim’s front door,” the police officer said. “Doing so can generally result in charges for property damage.”

This was the case for a man arrested earlier this year in Seoul. The man requested a revenge service in which a perpetrator threw feces in front of his ex-girlfriend’s front door after she refused to meet him following their breakup, according to a report by the JoongAng Ilbo in July.

One teenager referred to the prosecution service in August also reportedly sprayed red paint and poured soy sauce and flour on the victim's front door and spread defamatory flyers outside the victim’s home in Seoul. The teenager had received money from an operator before committing the crime.

"Nearly all of these acts are designed to damage the victim’s reputation in the eyes of others,” the police officer said. “But I have not seen cases involving physical violence, fortunately.”

Punishments for both sides 

Revenge services may allow clients to commit crimes out of the public eye, but that does not mean they can escape legal action.

Korea’s Criminal Act stipulates that “for a person who instigates another to commit a crime, the same punishment shall be applied to the instigator as to the one who actually commits the crime.”

Since last year, courts have handed offenders involved in revenge-for-hire crimes one- to two-year prison sentences. Clients can also be subject to similar punishments.

In many cases, however, authorities are still investigating to identify the true clients.

“Finding the clients is tough because we need to catch the brokers first and see how they contacted the clients, but there is rarely any record left,” the police officer said.

Police are also investigating why people choose revenge services despite the consequences.

“Part of the reason people use these services is that they're under the illusion that they're anonymous — but honestly, I'd also call it outsourcing responsibility,” Cho Min-sang, a professor of police administration at Silla University, told the Korea JoongAng Daily. “What that means is that they convince themselves, ‘I didn’t do it myself. I simply used a service and paid for it, so I’m not really responsible for what happened.’”

Gov’t scrutiny 

President Lee underlined in a statement on May 15 that both the person who commissions such a crime and the person who carries it out are committing “serious crimes.” 

“Is it really worth ruining your life over something so trivial?” he asked. “In a modern civilized country, people should resolve private disputes in accordance with the law.”   

Authorities have put efforts into eradicating revenge-for-hire crimes since the first case came to light.  

The number of such crimes stood at seven from August to the end of last year, but it climbed to 62 from January to March, before dropping to 19 from April to June.  

Police said in a press release shared on June 21 that the number declined sharply after arresting ringleaders in Daegu and Incheon in April. Data about whether the number of cases rose or declined afterward has not been released as of this month.  

Police have also identified 65 perpetrators and arrested 23 of them and are investigating other ringleaders as well as clients who commissioned the revenge service, according to the press release.  

Whether the government is preparing to revise a law to punish those involved in revenge-for-hire crimes is uncertain. The National Assembly has yet to enact a new law regarding such crimes.  

The number of revenge-for-hire crimes may not continue to decline, if the government does not take stronger action. 

“Once people know these services exist, won’t they be tempted to use them when they feel extremely frustrated or angry?” Prof. Cho said. “Given this potential risk, I think the number of cases could rise well beyond the 87 that have been reported so far.”

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]