About 60 Held in Local Detention Centers
"Possible Voluntary Participation in Online Scams"
Recently, it has been revealed that around 80 South Korean nationals who traveled to Cambodia, where cases of job scams and kidnapping or confinement have been occurring repeatedly, remain unaccounted for in terms of their safety.
According to an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on October 14, the number of reported cases involving loss of contact, kidnapping, or confinement in Cambodia has reached approximately 567 since 2022. Of these, about 480 cases have been marked as 'closed,' while around 80 cases are still ongoing.
By year, the number of reported cases has surged: 1 case in 2022, 17 cases in 2023, 220 cases in 2024, and 330 cases from January to August this year. All cases reported in 2022 and 2023 have been closed, but among the cases reported in 2024, about 10 remain unresolved, and among those reported this year, about 70 are still pending.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs official explained, "A case is considered closed if, after the report, it was confirmed that the person was no longer in confinement, whether due to police intervention or escaping on their own, for any reason," adding, "Approximately 80 cases are currently ongoing."
These figures differ somewhat from the statistics provided by the police, who stated that there have been a total of 143 reports of missing or confined persons in Cambodia since last year, with 52 cases unresolved. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that since their statistics are based on reports received directly by the ministry, they plan to cross-check the data with the police in the future.
In addition, it is known that dozens of South Koreans were arrested during police crackdowns in Cambodia in July and September. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about 90 South Koreans were apprehended at that time. While some refused consular assistance and repatriation by the South Korean embassy, a few have recently begun to return home, leaving about 60 still in local detention centers. It is reported that those apprehended by local police are typically detained for about two months before being deported.
Authorities believe that many of these individuals likely participated voluntarily in online scam crimes. Fraudulent activities, which were previously prevalent in the so-called 'Golden Triangle' region bordering Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand in Southeast Asia, have recently shifted their focus to Cambodia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs designated the Golden Triangle region as a travel ban area last year. In the case of Cambodia, following the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute, the ministry has raised the travel advisory level three times from July to this month. Unlike the Golden Triangle, where there are no Korean residents, Cambodia is home to about 10,000 Korean nationals and receives around 200,000 Korean tourists annually, which is why the country has not yet been designated as a travel ban area.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official stated, "We plan to further raise the travel advisory level for Cambodia in the near future."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
