South Korean National Security Advisor Cho Tae-yong stated on the 15th that about 1,000 Koreans are either working at online fraud centers in Cambodia or have become victims of fake job scams.
At a press conference at the presidential office, he said the government's top priority at present is to quickly repatriate the 60 Korean nationals detained by Cambodian investigative authorities for criminal offenses.
He mentioned that more than 200,000 people from various countries are engaged in scam operations in Cambodia, including over 1,000 South Koreans. Cambodia has recently detained thousands of suspects, among whom 63 are Koreans.
He disclosed that the government is arranging flights to bring involved personnel back to Korea.
He pointed out that on the afternoon of the 15th, a South Korean government joint task force departed for Phnom Penh to address safety issues concerning the luring, kidnapping, and detention of South Korean citizens. The task force is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Jin-a and includes officials from the National Police Agency, Ministry of Justice, and the National Intelligence Service.
Park Seong-ju, Director of National Investigation at the Korean National Police Agency, stated that South Korea will establish a cooperation mechanism with Cambodian police to conduct an autopsy as soon as possible on the Korean university student who was tortured to death by a local criminal gang, and then swiftly hand over the remains to the family for funeral arrangements.
South Korea Implements Travel Ban on Certain Areas in Cambodia
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea issued a notice on the 15th, stating that due to the recent surge in job scams and illegal detention cases in certain regions of Cambodia, starting from the 16th of this month, the South Korean government will implement a Level 4 travel advisory for some areas in Cambodia.
According to the notice, Bokor Mountain in Kampot Province, as well as the cities of Bavet and Poipet, have been designated as travel-prohibited areas.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Koreans who visit or stay in these areas will be subject to penalties for violating the Passport Act and other regulations, urging those planning to travel to these areas to cancel their trips.