Press Briefing by National Security Director Suh Seungrak
President Lee Holds Daily Meetings on Cambodia Response
"President Lee Again Calls for All-Out Efforts Today"
Suh: "President Lee Has Shown Special Interest in Cambodia Even Before Recent
President Lee Jaemyung has ordered the swift development of measures to promptly remove advertisements that continue to lure Koreans into scam crimes in Cambodia, instructing the use of emergency review systems such as those of the Korea Communications Standards Commission.
Suh Seung-rak, Director of the National Security Office, is giving a briefing on crimes targeting Koreans in Cambodia at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 16th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
Suh Seung-rak, Director of the National Security Office, held a press briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 16th regarding the detention of Koreans in Cambodia, stating, "This morning, President Lee gave these instructions." He added, "Today as well, the situation in Cambodia was discussed in several review meetings within the Presidential Office, and various response measures were decided upon. President Lee once again called for an all-out response today, urging thorough monitoring of all developments and for every effort to be made in implementing measures."
He also noted that President Lee had shown particular concern about the Cambodia incident even before it became a major issue. Suh said, "Claims that our government, including the President, has been indifferent to the safety and lives of our citizens abroad are far from the truth. Long before employment scams and confinement cases in Cambodia became widely discussed late last week, the President had already instructed the preparation of measures to protect our citizens." He continued, "Upon reviewing the records, I found that from the end of July to early October, there were at least four reports to the President regarding increasing personnel, raising travel alerts, strengthening cooperation with local law enforcement, taking action on employment portal sites, and establishing a scam task force."
Suh also refuted claims that the government's response was slow regarding the death of a Korean national near the Vietnam-Cambodia border. He explained, "On the 8th, the individual was found collapsed at a checkpoint on the Vietnamese side of the border, and our diplomatic mission immediately requested a thorough investigation from the Vietnamese police upon learning of the death." The government supported the bereaved family's entry into Vietnam on the 8th, an autopsy was conducted on the 10th, and consular assistance was provided for the repatriation of the remains on the 11th.
At the same time, he emphasized that the government takes all related criticisms seriously and will strengthen the capacity to protect overseas Koreans. Suh stated, "We plan to take groundbreaking measures, including increasing personnel and budget, to enhance our capacity to protect overseas nationals. The President is continuing to review diplomatic and judicial response measures in full cooperation with the government joint response team, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Police Agency, and other relevant agencies."
Going forward, the government plans to conduct a comprehensive survey through its 190 overseas diplomatic missions, including those in Vietnam and Thailand, to assess the possibility of similar incidents involving Koreans abroad. Suh said, "We plan to cooperate with the relevant countries through this survey. We will also strengthen diplomatic and judicial cooperation between Korea and the United States to better understand the current state of international networks and to make greater efforts to eradicate such crimes."
On the afternoon of the 15th (local time), Kim Jina, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and head of the government joint response team, is answering questions from reporters at Techo International Airport near Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
Additionally, Suh stated that the government will actively consider, through consultations with relevant ministries, international cooperation measures to recover criminal proceeds and impose sanctions. In particular, to jointly respond to the scam industry that is spreading mainly in Cambodia, he announced plans to establish a joint investigation cooperation system with law enforcement agencies from various countries during the ASEAN Summit to be held in Malaysia on the 26th and 27th.
He said, "At the UN level, we will propose cooperation measures such as emergency responses to human rights violations against victims, and at the OECD, we will actively engage in governance and policy discussions among advanced countries to address illegal financial flows and digital crimes. Taking the ASEAN Summit as an opportunity, we will establish a regional cooperation system in Asia."
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