Cambodian authorities, engaged in a war against "online scam" criminal organizations, apprehended Chinese nationals during an operation in Kampot Province in August, as reported by the local Khmer Times. Three of these Chinese individuals have been indicted by local prosecutors on murder charges for the case in August, where a Korean university student was tortured and died in Cambodia. According to Cambodia's state-run AKP news agency on the 11th (local time), the Kampot Provincial Prosecutor's Office yesterday detained and indicted three Chinese nationals in their 30s and 40s, including Mr. A (35), on charges of murder and fraud. They are accused of murdering Mr. B, a Korean university student in his 20s, near Bokor Mountain in Kampot Province, Cambodia, in August. Captured from the Khmer Times homepage. 

It is understood that approximately 80 South Koreans who went to Cambodia, where job scams and illegal confinement targeting Koreans are rampant, currently have their safety unconfirmed.

According to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official on the 14th, the number of Koreans who entered Cambodia and subsequently had reports of contact being lost or being held captive was 330 from January to August this year, and 220 last year.

Of these, about 260 this year and 210 last year have been processed as "closed." "Closed" processing signifies that after the report, it was confirmed that the individuals were no longer in captivity for any reason, such as arrest by local police, repatriation after rescue by local police, self-escape, or return to their home country, or resumption of contact.

Therefore, as of August this year, about 80 individuals' safety remains unconfirmed, the official stated. It is believed that these cases are a mix of victims of confinement/kidnapping and those who intentionally cut off contact as voluntary online scammers.

These statistics are based on reports received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and may overlap with those identified by the police based on reports received domestically, hence cross-verification work is underway.

The police stated that there have been 143 reports of disappearances/confinements in Cambodia since last year, and 52 of these are still under investigation.

Reports received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prior to last year were 1 case in 2022 and 17 cases in 2023, all of which were processed as closed.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to date, the only confirmed death due to a job scam is that of a university student in their 20s who went to Cambodia in August saying they were "going to a job fair" and died after torture by a local criminal organization.

Dozens of Koreans have also been arrested in crackdowns by Cambodian police.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in July and September, 90 Koreans were arrested at the scene of online scam crimes during crackdowns by the Cambodian side. It is the general practice that if caught by local police, they are detained in a detention center for about two months and then deported.

They refused consular assistance from the South Korean Embassy in Cambodia and refused to return home, but recently they have been returning home little by little, with about 60 people remaining.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that they are considered to have voluntarily participated in local online scams and said, "We are closely cooperating with our police to ensure prompt repatriation to South Korea."

Job scams targeting Koreans in Southeast Asia, which were thriving in the "Golden Triangle" region bordering Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand around the end of 2023, appear to have shifted their base of operations to Cambodia starting last year.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs designated the Golden Triangle region as a travel ban area early last year.

Reports of Koreans being held captive in Cambodia were few, with 1 case in 2022 and 17 cases in 2023, but surged to 220 last year after travel to the Golden Triangle region was banned.

Cambodia currently has a travel advisory (Level 1) and a special travel advisory in effect. Among these, Phnom Penh, the capital, has had its travel warning upgraded from the original travel caution (Level 2) to a special travel advisory (Level 2.5) on the 10th.

In the case of Cambodia, there are about 200,000 Korean tourists annually and about 10,000 Korean residents, making it different from the Golden Triangle, where there are almost no Korean visitors or residents, which is why it has not led to a travel ban.

The Presidential Office announced today that it would consider upgrading the travel warning for Cambodia.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We will pursue comprehensive consultations with Cambodia at a high level, actively provide consular assistance to victims, track down those who were actively involved to ensure domestic punishment, and meticulously monitor overseas job recruitment advertisements."

He emphasized, "Along with the government's efforts, it is important that our citizens are not enticed by high-paying overseas jobs and do not visit Cambodia."

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