NIS: "Main Perpetrator in Korean University Student's Murder is Accomplice in Gangnam Academy Drug Case"

Authorities Identifying and Tracking Suspects... "Estimated 1,000-2,000 Koreans Involved in Cambodian Criminal Enterprises"

"President Lee Instructed NIS to Dedicate All Resources to Resolving International Crimes Until Root Cause is Eliminated"

Intelligence Committee Plenary Session (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Hwang Kwang-mo = The Intelligence Committee plenary session is being held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 22nd. 2025.10.22 [Joint Reporting] hkmpooh@yna.co.kr

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) announced on the 22nd that the main perpetrator in the case of Park, a Korean university student in his 20s who was tortured and murdered in a criminal complex in Cambodia, has been identified as an accomplice to the ringleader of the 2023 Gangnam academy drug case.

The NIS reported this information at a plenary session of the Intelligence Committee at the National Assembly today, according to briefings given to reporters by lawmakers Park Sun-won of the Democratic Party of Korea and Lee Seong-gwon of the People Power Party.

The NIS reported that it received initial information three days after the murder occurred and mobilized all intelligence capabilities to identify the main perpetrator of the murder case within eight days, and is currently tracking him.

The NIS explained that its intelligence confirmed that the main perpetrator of this case is an accomplice of a person named Lee, who was arrested in Cambodia as the "ringleader of the 2023 Gangnam academy drug case."

The Gangnam academy drug case refers to an incident in April 2023 where Chinese nationals and their Korean accomplices created a so-called "drug beverage" by mixing methamphetamine with milk, then offered it to 13 minors at a tasting event in Gangnam's Daechi-dong academy district, claiming it was a "concentration-enhancing drink," with the intention of extorting money from them.

The NIS stated, "We are cooperating with the Cambodian side by providing information on the whereabouts and associated individuals of the main perpetrator and dispatching a dedicated task force for his arrest."

The NIS also reported to the Intelligence Committee that the number of Koreans involved in scam (romance fraud) crimes occurring in Cambodia is estimated to be between 1,000 and 2,000.

Furthermore, it informed the Intelligence Committee that out of the 3,075 suspects arrested in scam crimes by the Cambodian police in June and July, 57 were Korean nationals.

Regarding those recently repatriated from Cambodia to Korea, the NIS explained to the National Assembly that "it is more objective to consider most of them as participants in the crime rather than victims."

The NIS explained that in relation to Cambodian scam crimes, "currently, criminal organizations, which previously only engaged in casino money laundering, have evolved their methods to scam crimes after borders were closed due to COVID-19 and multinational criminal organizations from China and other countries infiltrated Cambodia."

The NIS reported that there are approximately 50 scam crime complexes in locations such as Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, with an estimated 200,000 individuals involved.

In this regard, the NIS explained, "Some areas are controlled by non-governmental armed groups, and economic special zones are scattered, making it difficult for the Cambodian government to crack down, which is also causing significant disruption to our international cooperation. These criminal organizations are so significant that they generated criminal proceeds equivalent to half of Cambodia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2023, amounting to 12.5 billion dollars."

The NIS reported to the National Assembly that President Lee Jae-myung issued a special directive, stating, "Until the root cause is eliminated and the issue is completely resolved, the NIS will dedicate all its resources to resolutely address international crimes, drugs, human trafficking, cybercrimes, illegal cryptocurrencies, and scam crimes, thereby alleviating the public's concerns." The NIS added that it is addressing this issue with "third and fourth-tier capabilities and focus."

Questions regarding North Korea's military parade held on October 10th to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea were also raised at the Intelligence Committee meeting today.

The NIS responded, "From an internal North Korean perspective, it can be interpreted as an attempt by Kim Jong-un to appeal domestically that he has an international status alongside global leaders, while emphasizing internationally that imposing many sanctions on North Korea is meaningless as there are many friendly countries." Yonhap News