56 Reports of Job Scams and Kidnappings in Cambodia in September Alone... 102 Cases Still Unresolved

Cho Hyun: "Our Approach, Relying Solely on Existing Systems, Had Fundamental Limitations"

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun [Yonhap News Archive Photo]

Reports of job scams and kidnappings targeting Koreans continued to emerge in Cambodia last month, it has been revealed.

During a comprehensive audit by the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on the 28th, Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun stated, "As of September this year, the Cambodian Embassy has received 386 reports related to online scam crimes, including job scams and kidnappings, an increase of 56 cases from 330 as of August."

Minister Cho explained, "Out of the 386 cases reported this year, 296 have been resolved, leaving 90 cases currently unresolved. Along with 12 unresolved cases from last year's 220 reports, a total of 102 cases remain unresolved."

He mentioned that measures such as increasing embassy staff in Cambodia and providing guidance on job scam awareness had been implemented, but admitted, "It is true that these efforts were insufficient as the number of reported victimizations has increased at an even faster pace this year."

He added, "I have self-evaluated the progress of our response," and acknowledged, "I believe our approach had fundamental limitations."

Minister Cho reflected, "An unprecedented situation has arisen where our citizens, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, are involved in transnational organized crime and are being brought in on a large scale. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to this challenge of a new form and scale solely with its traditional consular assistance system."

He bowed his head, acknowledging that the embassy in Cambodia struggled under these inherent constraints and drew controversy, and that headquarters failed to provide adequate support before the situation worsened, making it impossible to shirk responsibility.

He also stated that efforts to drive a government-wide response were insufficient, despite this being an issue that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not solve alone.

Minister Cho announced that he would strengthen an on-site-focused cooperation system between the Korean and Cambodian security authorities, in conjunction with the National Police Agency.

Furthermore, he stated that early next month, two additional police officers will be dispatched to the Cambodian Embassy, new administrative staff will be hired, and more overseas Koreans will be selected as consular cooperation volunteers. He also revealed that discussions are underway with relevant ministries to add one police attaché and three overseas safety consuls to the embassy's personnel quota starting next year.

He said that to address the issue of embassy staff and overseas Koreans using their own funds to help victims, the headquarters' emergency support fund system would be actively utilized, and additional budget would be secured to realistically cover the operating expenses of local consular cooperation volunteers.

He also added that passport administrative sanctions would be reviewed to prevent individuals who were involved in crimes in Cambodia from returning to Cambodia after their return to Korea, as it has been identified that such cases occur. Yonhap News Agency