President Lee's Opening Remarks at Cabinet Meeting
Emphasizes Immediate Implementation of All Available Measures
President Lee: "Establish a Permanent Cooperation System with Cambodian Law Enforcement"... Urges Prompt Verification of Missing Persons Reports
President Lee: "Trade Conflicts Deepen Economic Uncertainty... Negative Impacts Must Be Blocked"
Orders Fundamental Measures to Prevent Market Disruption, Including Real Estate Price Manipulation
On the 14th, President Lee Jae-myung emphasized the government's utmost responsibility to protect the lives and safety of its citizens in response to recent cases of job scams, abductions, and illegal detentions occurring in Cambodia. He stated, "The government's greatest responsibility is to safeguard the lives and safety of our people. Right now, above all else, we must protect the victims and swiftly repatriate those involved in these incidents back to Korea." President Lee also directed the relevant ministries to "accelerate the establishment of a permanent cooperation system between the law enforcement authorities of both countries through discussions with the Cambodian government," and instructed that the verification of missing persons reports be carried out promptly.
President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the Cabinet meeting held on the 14th at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
Presiding over the 45th Cabinet meeting at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the same day, President Lee said, "Job scam and illegal detention crimes are rampant in Cambodia recently. Our citizens are suffering significant harm." Recently, there has been a sharp increase in violent crimes targeting Korean nationals in Cambodia. The number of reported cases of Koreans being abducted or detained in Cambodia was only 4 in 2021, 11 in 2022, and 21 in 2023. However, the number surged to 221 last year, and as of August this year, a total of 330 reports have been filed. Considering the victims who have not reported, the actual scale of the damage is likely much larger.
President Lee also urged the government to implement all available measures to ensure the safety of its citizens as quickly as possible. He mentioned cases where local Korean residents or public officials affiliated with national institutions have used their own money to support victims, and said, "When citizens request help from overseas missions, please ensure that the relevant systems are improved and that personnel and budgets are allocated so that immediate and constant responses are possible. At the very least, please make sure that work is not hindered by budget issues."
He also called for policy efforts to be concentrated on blocking the negative impact on the people's economy, as economic uncertainty is growing due to escalating trade conflicts. President Lee said, "We must revive the spark of recovery in the people's economy through extraordinary measures," and added, "In particular, I ask that policy capabilities be focused on stabilizing prices, which are directly linked to people's livelihoods." He further stressed the need to strengthen the economic structure, saying, "We must not only enhance our competitiveness in the global market through continuous technological innovation, but also pursue efforts to boost domestic demand and, especially, diversify markets to reduce our dependency."
President Lee also urged the political community to join efforts for economic recovery. He stated, "I want to reiterate that there can be no division between the ruling and opposition parties, the National Assembly, or the government when it comes to restoring the people's economy. The circulation of accurate information is crucial for the proper functioning of the market economy. This is true for politics, the economy, and social phenomena alike." He also called for fundamental measures to block false information, fake news, and manipulated or distorted information. President Lee said, "Fake news disrupts the market and causes significant harm to the national economy. There are even cases where real estate price manipulation is suspected. I ask the relevant ministries to come up with fundamental measures to correct such market-disrupting behavior."
President Lee Jae-myung is attentively listening to Prime Minister Kim Min-seok's remarks at the Cabinet meeting held on the 14th at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
Following President Lee's opening remarks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, and the National Police Agency reported on the current status and measures regarding crime in Cambodia. After President Lee ordered an "all-out response" on the 11th, the National Police Agency announced that it would reinforce its international joint investigation team by 30 personnel to respond to cross-border crimes. Currently, of the 15 staff members at the Korean Embassy in Cambodia, only three police officers are responsible for handling incidents: one resident officer and two cooperation officers. In addition, Acting Commissioner General Yoo Jaeseong of the National Police Agency is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with the Deputy Chief of the Cambodian National Police, where he will strongly advocate for the establishment of a dedicated "Korean Desk" to handle related issues.
The Presidential Office has stated that priority should be given to repatriating Korean nationals who have been detained in local prisons. According to remarks by National Security Office Director Wi Seongrak, cited by Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Hu-deok during the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee audit the previous day, there are currently 68 Koreans in Cambodian prisons. Some of them reportedly do not wish to be repatriated. At the first meeting of the "Task Force on Crimes Committed by Koreans in Cambodia" held the same day, Director Wi stated, "From a humanitarian perspective, the repatriation of our citizens should be expedited," and added, "If necessary, we should even consider phased repatriation."
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