Revenge for hire spreads among young Koreans

South Korea is seeing a rise in a peculiar form of crime known as “proxy revenge,” in which individuals hire strangers online to vandalize targets they hold grudges against.

A man in his 20s was recently arrested in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, after allegedly vandalizing a family home by scattering garbage, spray painting profanities and dumping powder near the entrance, authorities said Tuesday. The suspect told police he had been hired by an unknown client and had no prior connection to the victim.

The case is the latest in a string of at least 20 reported incidents this year, with many commissions arranged through messaging platforms such as Telegram. While no official tally exists, most suspects identified so far are under 30.

In a similar case in February, a man in his 20s was caught vandalizing a home in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, in exchange for about 800,000 won ($535) in cryptocurrency.

A woman in her 20s was also arrested on March 4 in Hwaseong after carrying out a similar act, telling police she had been recruited through Telegram brokers.

Suspects’ testimonies suggest the crimes are often perceived as easy, short-term gigs, with some citing media reports as their introduction to the activity.

"I saw the news and learned there was such a job. I committed the crime for the first time to make some money,” one suspect told police, referring to coverage of similar incidents last year.

Police have requested cooperation from messaging platform operators while investigating potential links between cases and whether organized brokers are coordinating the crimes at scale, rather than individuals acting independently as in the past.

Both perpetrators and those who commission the crimes are criminally liable. Offenses may include property damage and defamation, as in the Hwaseong case, where flyers disparaging the victim were distributed.

Under Korean law, those who solicit crimes can be punished at the same level as those who commit them.

Legal experts warn that framing such acts as "revenge" may create a false sense of justification.

“Suspects tend to believe someone has been wronged and that they are avenging them. That perception is used to rationalize their actions,” lawyer Lee Seung-gi said in a local media interview.

While most cases so far involve relatively minor offenses, Lee cautioned that the trend could escalate to more serious crimes such as assault or even murder.

He also warned that online commissions leave digital trails that often lead to arrests, urging potential victims not to respond emotionally and to report incidents to authorities immediately.