Masterminds and Fund Managers of 'Telegram Revenge-for-Hire' Channel Arrested in Succession

Nine High-Level Suspects Detained by Incheon and Daegu Police

Authorities Vow to Prosecute Not Only Perpetrators but Also Clients

The police have made additional arrests of the actual administrators and fund managers behind a Telegram channel involved in carrying out private revenge-for-hire crimes. Authorities believe that the newly apprehended administrator may be the mastermind behind the recent string of incidents.

The National Police Agency announced on June 21 that it had arrested nine additional individuals, including the actual administrator of the Telegram channel linked to recent private revenge-for-hire cases in Incheon and the fund managers who were responsible for similar incidents across the country. Since the first incident in Daegu in August last year, a total of 87 revenge-for-hire cases have been reported nationwide as of June 17. So far, police have apprehended 65 perpetrators involved in 80 cases of revenge-for-hire and detained 24 of them.

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First, the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency’s Major Crimes Investigation Unit has detained all four operatives involved in nine revenge-for-hire cases that occurred in Incheon, Busan, Gyeonggi, North Gyeongsang, and Jeju since last month. The unit also arrested and detained, on June 15, an additional Telegram channel administrator who directed these crimes. This administrator, who launched the channel in April 2026, recruited perpetrators and issued instructions for revenge-for-hire in places such as Incheon. The police are investigating this individual as the main orchestrator.

This channel administrator fled to Vietnam on May 19, 2026, after two perpetrators of revenge-for-hire were apprehended. Even while on the run, the suspect continued to direct two more acts of revenge-for-hire. The police identified the administrator and confirmed their stay in Vietnam following the incident in Incheon on May 13, 2026. Authorities persuaded the individual to return to Korea through various channels and arrested them upon arrival at Incheon International Airport on June 13, 2026.

The Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency’s Major Crimes Investigation Unit has arrested three fund managers of the Telegram channel involved in the first revenge-for-hire case in Daegu in August 2025 and in nationwide operations. An additional fund manager was also detained on June 20, 2026. These individuals are believed to have received or paid commissions using accounts under false names and virtual assets.

According to the police, revenge-for-hire crimes surged starting January 2026 but subsided after the Seoul Yangcheon Police Station arrested three members of a delivery agency for illegally distributing personal information in March 2026. By period, there were six cases in 2025, 62 from January to March 2026, and 19 cases from April 2026 to the present.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Major Crimes Investigation Unit continues to investigate whether personal information has leaked from sources other than the delivery agencies previously targeted by the Seoul Yangcheon Police. In addition, major crime investigation units in city and provincial police agencies across the country are tracking not only those already apprehended but other higher-level masterminds and clients.

A spokesperson from the National Police Agency stated, "Our policy is to detain not only the perpetrators but also the clients. We urge people not to request or accept revenge-for-hire jobs, whether for high earnings or out of curiosity."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.