Government Joint Response Team Arrives in Cambodia to Discuss Repatriation of Kidnapped and Detained Koreans

High-Level Talks with Cambodia Underway for Repatriation of Over 60 Koreans
Charter Flight Deployment for Repatriation Not Yet Finalized

The government’s joint response team arrived in Cambodia on October 15 to request investigative cooperation from Cambodian authorities regarding the recent series of kidnappings and detentions of Korean nationals, and to discuss the repatriation of detained Koreans.

Yonhap News Agency

The response team, led by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Jina, entered Cambodia through Techo International Airport, which is located about 20 kilometers south of the capital, Phnom Penh, in the afternoon of the same day. Key officials from related ministries, including Park Sungjoo, head of the National Investigation Headquarters, as well as the National Police Agency, Ministry of Justice, and National Intelligence Service, accompanied the team.

Immediately upon arrival, Vice Minister Kim stated, “We received more distressing news while on the plane,” adding, “A Korean woman in her 30s was found dead in the Vietnam-Cambodia border area.”

She continued, “We have requested that both Vietnamese and Cambodian authorities actively investigate the case,” and added, “We plan to closely cooperate with both countries throughout the process.”

Regarding the possible use of a chartered flight for the repatriation of Korean nationals, she said, “We are preparing specific measures, but nothing has been finalized yet.”

The response team is seeking meetings with high-level Cambodian officials to discuss the repatriation of approximately 60 Koreans detained during local crackdowns. The police plan to prioritize the repatriation of those for whom arrest warrants have been issued. The government is preparing flights and aims to complete the repatriation by this weekend.

Initially, 63 Koreans were detained by the Cambodian Immigration Department, but two of them returned to Korea on a national carrier the previous day.

The response team also plans to request investigative cooperation regarding the “Korean university student torture and death case,” and to discuss procedures for autopsy and body transport, as well as future joint investigation measures. Previously, in August, a Cambodian court approved a joint autopsy between the two countries in connection with the case of a Korean university student in his 20s who died after being tortured in a local crime complex. The police plan to dispatch a team, together with the National Forensic Service, to conduct the autopsy once the schedule is confirmed.

Recently, a series of cases have occurred in Cambodia in which Koreans were lured with job offers, then kidnapped, detained, tortured, and killed.

The number of reported cases of kidnapping and detention of Koreans in Cambodia surged from four in 2021 and one in 2022 to 17 in 2023, and reached as many as 220 last year. This year, the number has already sharply increased, with 330 cases reported by August.