Symposium of the Korea International Society of Organized Crime. Yonhap News. 

An official from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) stated that South Korea should join sanctions against Prince Group, which is believed to be behind large-scale criminal complexes in Cambodia.

Justin Chang, head of the FBI's Korea Field Office, made these remarks in response to questions from reporters at a symposium hosted by the Korea International Society of Organized Crime, held at the Koriana Hotel in Seoul on the afternoon of the 14th.

Chang stated, "The United States views the economic sanctions (against Prince Group) as very effective, and just a few days ago, assets were frozen in Taiwan. South Korea should also consider this."

Prince Group Chairman Chen Zhi, who is Chinese, is known to have operated the "Taizi Complex" in Cambodia, which was reportedly led by a Chinese mastermind.

Furthermore, Chang emphasized, "Criminal cooperation with countries other than China is very important (in combating scam crimes)."

He said, "The FBI has been monitoring scam (fraud) crimes for the past five to six years," and pointed out the need to focus on 'third-party facilitators' who provide technical infrastructure, software developers, and funds, with Prince Group being a prime example.

He also explained that sanctions against Prince Group are a method to curb scam crimes by targeting the upper echelons of criminal organizations, not lower-level members, and by blocking funds related to virtual assets.

Professor Kwak Dae-kyung of the Department of Police Administration at Dongguk University and President of the Korea International Society of Organized Crime, delivers an opening address at the symposium 'Changing Patterns of Online Scam Crimes and Korea's Response Tasks' held at the K hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 14th. Yonhap News. 

The event was attended by officials such as Jeong Su-on, Head of the Interpol Cooperation Division at the National Police Agency, and Senior Inspector Lee Ji-hoon, who served as the Philippine Korean Desk (police officer dedicated to Koreans).

Jeong stated, "Five years ago, China was overwhelmingly the top country for traditional voice phishing. Recently, Cambodia has surpassed China."

Jeong further commented, "The criminal organizations are becoming larger, and victims of various nationalities are targeted by these organizations, making the problem more difficult to solve," emphasizing information sharing among relevant countries.

He mentioned that currently, under the leadership of the Korean National Police Agency, 11 cases are being jointly investigated through the global cooperative operation 'Breaking Chains', which involves 16 countries including the United States, China, Japan, and Cambodia, adding, "Each country shares a sense of crisis."

There was also a suggestion to increase the number of dispatched police officers to Southeast Asian countries.

Senior Inspector Lee stated, "This incident in Cambodia appears to be the first large-scale case involving the linkage of Korean and Chinese organizations. We need to dispatch more police officers to Southeast Asia. Southeast Asian police do not act unless they are 'dragged by the collar'."

He also added, "A change in perception is also needed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Frankly, I believe the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the perception that 'this is a matter for the National Police Agency'."

Yonhap News