The Incident in Dongtan New Town
A man in his 20s is set to be sent to prosecutors after allegedly carrying out a paid “revenge-for-hire” attack at an apartment in Dongtan New Town, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Police announced on March 5 that he will be transferred in custody on charges of property damage, trespassing, and defamation.
The incident took place around 8:30 p.m. on February 22 at a 15th-floor unit in a Dongtan apartment complex. The suspect allegedly scattered food waste in front of the victim’s door, spray-painted red graffiti on the door, glued the digital door lock shut, and distributed approximately 40 leaflets containing false statements intended to damage the victim’s reputation.
Telegram Channel and Cryptocurrency Payment
During questioning, the suspect stated that he learned about so-called “revenge-for-hire” groups through media reports. These groups allegedly accept payment to carry out acts of private retaliation on behalf of clients. On February 14, he reportedly accessed a Telegram channel operated by such a group and agreed to participate in the crime.
He allegedly received the victim’s address and specific instructions, and claimed he was promised cryptocurrency worth about 800,000 won in exchange for completing the job. After finishing the vandalism in roughly 10 minutes, he is said to have sent a photo as proof to the group before fleeing the scene.
Police secured chat records between the suspect and the organization through mobile phone forensics and have requested cooperation from Telegram to identify those behind the operation. Authorities are also reviewing possible links to a similar revenge-for-hire attack that occurred on February 24 at a multi-family residence in Gunpo.
Jed’s Commentary
About Dongtan
Dongtan is a large planned residential area in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, about 40 kilometers south of Seoul. Developed in the 2000s and 2010s, it quickly grew into one of the most prominent new towns in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Its rapid expansion was driven in part by nearby major companies, especially Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor facilities in Hwaseong. As high-income employees moved into the area, apartment prices rose sharply during Korea’s real estate boom.
In Korean media, the term “Dongtan Mom” is sometimes used to describe middle-class mothers living in these large apartment complexes, reflecting the area’s image as a competitive, education-focused suburban community.
Dongtan and Social Hierarchies
There are one or two reasons why I explained about Dongtan, and I will keep it brief. In South Korea, almost everything is competitive, which often becomes a source of jealousy. In addition, Korea has an invisible social hierarchy. Of course, this social hierarchy exists in both democratic and communist countries, so it is not a new phenomenon. The problem is that in Korea, people react very sensitively to this hierarchy. Although nothing has been confirmed yet about this terror incident, it is probably caused by personal or family grudges rather than business-related resentments.
In Dongtan, rapidly rising house prices and the pride of having a husband working for a large company have led to sudden changes in social status. This “new rich mentality” has led to rude and hard-to-understand behavior. For this reason, the negative term “Dongtan moms” was created, and they live with the perception that they are superior within their own social hierarchy. In my view, it is not natural or expected that such a thing would happen in Dongtan, but at the same time, it is not surprising either. It is often a neighborhood with many social issues. Generally, in Korea, regions like Incheon, Bucheon, Jeolla Province, and Daegu are perceived as places where people cannot control their anger and often commit crimes or serious offenses. This perception is not necessarily based on statistics, but it is widely held among the public. For example, Incheon is nicknamed “Demon Incheon,” and Daegu is called “Gotham Daegu,” after the city in Batman, reflecting how outrageous crimes sometimes occur frequently. In my personal opinion, Dongtan may be heading in a similar direction.
Anger, Jealousy, and the “New Rich Mentality”
What I always wonder is why Koreans are so quick to anger, jealous of others (사촌이 땅을 사면 배가 아픈 한국인), and sometimes lack consideration. One possible reason is the “new rich mentality.” After the Korean War, Korea rose rapidly from poverty to wealth, and recently, as Korean culture (especially pop culture) gained global attention, some people may not know how to behave, acting almost like wild horses without guidance (고삐 풀린 망아지처럼). I think this is very similar to nouveau riche in China.
A world where money can solve everything may be deeply connected to absurd incidents like the recent Telegram case, where someone requested harm to be done to another person. This is my personal opinion, but it may show a deep connection between sudden wealth, social pride, and shocking behavior.
