(Phnom Penh, 29th) — The Cambodian court has convicted six Chinese nationals, members of a telecom network fraud ring suspected of torturing and murdering a South Korean university student in Cambodia, on charges of murder and severe fraud, sentencing them to life imprisonment.
The six defendants, aged between 30 and 54, were charged with jointly torturing, abusing, and murdering 22-year-old South Korean university student Park Min-ho, who had been lured to Cambodia for employment.
At the sentencing on Wednesday (May 27) in the Kampot Provincial Court, the judge stated that the evidence, facts, and legal grounds presented by the prosecution were sufficient to prove the guilt of the six defendants, and thus they were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, responding at a regular press conference on Thursday (28th), said that China has urged its citizens abroad to abide by local laws. “We are also willing to strengthen law enforcement cooperation with all parties to jointly combat telecom fraud and other types of cross-border crime.”
The case occurred in August last year. The victim, Park Min-ho, disappeared after attending a job fair in Cambodia. Police later intercepted a suspicious vehicle in the Bokor Mountains, Kampot Province, and found a male body inside the car, which was later confirmed to be Park Min-ho, who had been missing for several days.
An autopsy revealed that the deceased had suffered severe torture while alive, with multiple bruises and obvious external injuries on the body.
Police soon arrested several suspects and, based on their confessions, raided a villa in the Bokor Mountain area, uncovering not only a telecom fraud den but also the site where the victim was illegally detained and tortured.
According to the Cambodian-Chinese Times, the mastermind of the case is a 42-year-old Chinese man who had resided in Thailand for a long time and remotely directed telecom fraud and related criminal activities in Cambodia. Earlier this year, local law enforcement launched a transnational manhunt and finally arrested him in Pattaya, Thailand.
The case has attracted significant international attention and triggered a diplomatic incident between Cambodia and South Korea. South Korea later issued a “black alert” travel ban, categorizing Cambodia at the same risk level as Ukraine’s war zone.
In addition, a zone near Kampot Province, close to the Vietnamese border and previously sealed for suspected telecom fraud activities, recently experienced an incident where evidence was destroyed. Local police confirmed that more than 30 people— including the deputy police chief in charge of border affairs for Kampot Province, as well as county police chiefs, deputy chiefs, several officers, and military police— had been arrested to assist in the investigation.
According to the Phnom Penh Post, involved officers allegedly cut locks to break into the sealed zone and stole evidence seized by police during anti-fraud operations.
The incident has drawn widespread public concern, with many calling on the provincial government to disclose the identities of the involved officers, arguing that their actions have undermined Cambodia's efforts against telecom fraud. However, as the case is still under investigation, authorities have not made the officers’ identities public.
At the sentencing on Wednesday (May 27) in the Kampot Provincial Court, the judge stated that the evidence, facts, and legal grounds presented by the prosecution were sufficient to prove the guilt of the six defendants, and thus they were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, responding at a regular press conference on Thursday (28th), said that China has urged its citizens abroad to abide by local laws. “We are also willing to strengthen law enforcement cooperation with all parties to jointly combat telecom fraud and other types of cross-border crime.”
The case occurred in August last year. The victim, Park Min-ho, disappeared after attending a job fair in Cambodia. Police later intercepted a suspicious vehicle in the Bokor Mountains, Kampot Province, and found a male body inside the car, which was later confirmed to be Park Min-ho, who had been missing for several days.
An autopsy revealed that the deceased had suffered severe torture while alive, with multiple bruises and obvious external injuries on the body.
Police soon arrested several suspects and, based on their confessions, raided a villa in the Bokor Mountain area, uncovering not only a telecom fraud den but also the site where the victim was illegally detained and tortured.
According to the Cambodian-Chinese Times, the mastermind of the case is a 42-year-old Chinese man who had resided in Thailand for a long time and remotely directed telecom fraud and related criminal activities in Cambodia. Earlier this year, local law enforcement launched a transnational manhunt and finally arrested him in Pattaya, Thailand.
The case has attracted significant international attention and triggered a diplomatic incident between Cambodia and South Korea. South Korea later issued a “black alert” travel ban, categorizing Cambodia at the same risk level as Ukraine’s war zone.
In addition, a zone near Kampot Province, close to the Vietnamese border and previously sealed for suspected telecom fraud activities, recently experienced an incident where evidence was destroyed. Local police confirmed that more than 30 people— including the deputy police chief in charge of border affairs for Kampot Province, as well as county police chiefs, deputy chiefs, several officers, and military police— had been arrested to assist in the investigation.
According to the Phnom Penh Post, involved officers allegedly cut locks to break into the sealed zone and stole evidence seized by police during anti-fraud operations.
The incident has drawn widespread public concern, with many calling on the provincial government to disclose the identities of the involved officers, arguing that their actions have undermined Cambodia's efforts against telecom fraud. However, as the case is still under investigation, authorities have not made the officers’ identities public.