President Lee Orders All-Out Response to Protect Korean Nationals from Serious Crimes in Cambodia

Instructions for Diplomatic Response and Principles
"Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Take Additional Measures if Necessary"
Korean University Student Tortured and Killed in Cambodia

The spokesperson's office announced that President Lee Jaemyung has ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make an all-out response regarding a series of crimes such as employment scams, abductions, and confinement targeting Korean nationals in Cambodia.

Yonhap News Agency

On the 11th, the presidential office stated in a notice issued by the spokesperson's office, "President Lee has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to exert every diplomatic effort to protect our citizens from the recent crimes occurring in Cambodia, setting this as the basic direction and principle for the response."

The office added, "Accordingly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken various measures, including securing cooperation from the Cambodian government, and additional actions will be taken if necessary."

President Lee's directive comes as serious crimes against Korean nationals continue to occur in Cambodia. In August, a Korean university student was tortured and killed by a criminal organization in Cambodia.

Previously, on the 10th, Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun summoned Khuon Phon Rattanak, the Cambodian Ambassador to South Korea, to express strong concern over the continued occurrence of serious crimes against Koreans and to urge the Cambodian government to take countermeasures. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also raised the travel advisory for Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, to a special travel warning.