Members of the Dongdaemun gang pose during a retreat in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, in July 2024. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency
Police recently apprehended a new generation of organized crime members who maintained traditional gang rituals — such as communal living, forced chest tattoos and rigid codes of conduct — while expanding into emerging financial cybercrimes, including voice phishing and online investment scams.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Metropolitan Crime Investigation Division said Thursday that it arrested 40 members of the Seoul-based Dongdaemun gang and three affiliated syndicates on charges of forming and participating in a criminal organization under organized crime statutes. With the exception of the boss and senior advisers, all gang members are in their 20s and 30s.
Police placed 14 individuals in pretrial detention, including a 33-year-old gang enforcer. Investigators established the organization's structure for the first time by analyzing criminal records, seized evidence, communication logs and surveillance video.
Police launched the investigation in February after obtaining surveillance footage of a group assault committed by Dongdaemun gang members in Gangnam District in September. Investigators tracked the gang's recruitment activities, arresting 14 members and raiding 16 locations in March. Seven more Dongdaemun members and 19 affiliated gang members were subsequently arrested, bringing the total number of suspects to 40.
