Surge in Kidnapping and Confinement of Koreans in Cambodia
Police Strongly Demand Establishment of "Korean Desk"
Pressure to Be Applied Through Interpol and Other International Organizations
In response to a series of recent cases involving the abduction and confinement of South Koreans in Cambodia, the police announced that they are considering strengthening a comprehensive investigation into deaths and other crimes committed against South Koreans in Cambodia.
At a regular press briefing on the 13th, an official from the National Office of Investigation of the Korean National Police Agency made this statement in response to a question about whether there have been any other death cases reported to the police, similar to the recent university student incident.
Three Chinese nationals accused of murdering a South Korean university student indicted by Cambodian prosecutors. Yonhap News Agency
As part of its response to crime in Cambodia, the police are pursuing several measures, including the establishment of a Korean Desk (police officers dedicated to handling cases involving Korean nationals), the deployment of additional police consuls, and the reinforcement of international joint investigation personnel by 30 officers.
Yu Jaeseong, the acting Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency, stated, "It is true that cooperation between police agencies in Cambodia is not as smooth as in other Southeast Asian countries," adding, "We are continuing our efforts in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant authorities."
According to data obtained by Assemblyman Wi Seongon of the Democratic Party of Korea from the Korean National Police Agency, the agency requested international cooperation from Cambodia through Interpol on 20 occasions from January to August this year, but received responses for only 6 cases (30%).
The police revealed that 147 criminal suspects have been extradited from Cambodia to Korea over the past five years, with numbers rising sharply: 18 in 2021, 26 in 2022, 22 in 2023, and 48 in 2024. This year, 33 people were extradited between January and August. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports to Korean diplomatic missions in Cambodia regarding confinement following employment scams increased dramatically from 4 cases in 2021 and 1 case in 2022 to 330 cases between January and August this year.
"Korean Desk Initiative... Difficult to Establish in the Short Term"
Acting Commissioner Yu stated, "In a bilateral meeting with the Deputy Commissioner General of the Cambodian National Police next week, I will request the establishment of a Korean Desk in Cambodia and urge local police to take strong action." However, he added that it would be difficult to set up the Korean Desk in the short term, as it requires the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Cambodian authorities and discussions on the scale of personnel deployment. Currently, the Korean Desk in the Philippines operates within the local police agency, not the Korean embassy. Issues of sovereignty are also involved, making the host country sensitive to the matter.
Regarding the possibility of a visit to Cambodia by the head of the National Office of Investigation, Acting Commissioner Yu explained, "If Cambodia is not willing to cooperate, it will be difficult to find effective solutions, but I believe that if we continue to visit and request stronger investigative cooperation, we may be able to resolve the lack of cooperation." He added that the authorities plan to make every possible effort, including applying pressure for a change in Cambodia's stance through Interpol and other international organizations.
"Crackdown on Online Luring Posts Also Strengthened"
The police also disclosed how the case of the university student who was found dead in the Bokor Mountain area of Kampot Province, Cambodia, on August 8 was reported to Korean authorities. After the incident occurred in August, a request for fingerprint identification of the deceased was submitted to the Korean National Police Agency, and on August 12, the National Forensic Service urgently notified the local embassy of the results. A police official explained, "In this case, it was difficult to confirm the victim's identity due to the lack of precise location information on the missing person." The police also stated that allegations linking the perpetrator of this case to the "Daechi-dong drug case" are currently under investigation. The police have requested Cambodian authorities to allow access to the related investigation records within October.
The Cyber Investigation Unit of the police will strengthen monitoring of recruitment platforms and job sites where "high-profit guaranteed" luring posts related to Cambodia, which triggered this incident, are posted. In addition, in cooperation with the Voice Phishing Integrated Response Center's analysis and blocking team, the police plan to implement measures to block suspicious luring posts.
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