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A dish best served cold: Revenge-for-hire vandal dumps food waste on door, gets handed to prosecutors

Published: 05 Mar. 2026, 13:30

The police logo is seen on a door. [JOONGANG PHOTO]

A man who allegedly took cryptocurrency to vandalize another person’s front door as part of a revenge-for-hire scheme will be handed over to prosecutors.

The Hwaseong Dongtan Police Precinct plans to refer the suspect to prosecutors while he remains in custody on charges including property damage, trespassing and defamation, according to the police on Thursday.

The man is accused of dumping food waste on the front door of an apartment unit on the 15th floor of a complex in Dongtan New Town in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, at around 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 22, and spray-painting graffiti on the door in red.

He is also accused of smearing glue on the unit’s door lock and scattering leaflets nearby containing statements that defamed the resident.

The suspect told police he joined the crime after learning about a revenge-for-hire ring through news reports and then searching for a Telegram channel run by the group in an attempt to make money, according to investigators.

The alleged vandal allegedly carried out the act in exchange for cryptocurrency worth about 800,000 won ($550) and claimed it was his first offense, according to police. He finished the vandalism in about 10 minutes, sent a proof photo from the scene to a handler and fled.

Police have requested cooperation from Telegram as they try to track down the handler and are also examining possible links to a similar case reported at a multifamily house in Gunpo on Feb. 24.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]