Sixty-Four Koreans Detained in Cambodia Repatriated: All Arrested and Escorted by Police (Comprehensive)

Sixty-four Koreans who were detained by immigration authorities in Cambodia for involvement in criminal activities have been repatriated to Korea on a chartered flight.

A bus carrying Koreans detained for involvement in online scams in Cambodia is heading to a chartered plane arranged for repatriation at Techo International Airport near Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on the 17th (local time). Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Korean Air flight KE9690 landed at Incheon International Airport at around 8:35 a.m. on October 18. It is reported that the repatriated individuals were arrested on board the plane as soon as they boarded. Under the Nationality Act, the interior of a Korean-registered aircraft is considered Korean territory, which allows for the execution of arrest warrants.

All 64 individuals were immediately taken into custody as suspects upon disembarking from the chartered plane and were transported to their respective local police stations for investigation into their alleged crimes. The suspects are being dispersed as follows: 45 to the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency, 15 to the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, 1 to the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency, 1 to the Seodaemun Police Station in Seoul, 1 to the Gimpo Police Station under the Southern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, and 1 to the Wonju Police Station in Gangwon Province.

Authorities took into account the fact that, although these individuals were victims detained in Cambodian criminal compounds, they also became accomplices and perpetrators by committing phishing crimes targeting Koreans. They were apprehended during a crackdown by local police on criminal compounds. The 64 repatriated individuals represent all Koreans who were detained by Cambodian immigration authorities, which is five more than the 59 initially announced by the Cambodian National Police Agency.

The repatriated individuals are accused of participating in crimes such as voice phishing and romance scams in so-called "Wench" criminal compounds in Cambodia. Of these, 59 were apprehended during a Cambodian crackdown on scam compounds, while the remaining 5 turned themselves in and were rescued from the compounds. Most of them were already wanted suspects with arrest warrants issued in Korea, and some were also on Interpol's Red Notice list.

From early morning at Incheon Airport, 23 escort vans were on standby to transport the suspects, each vehicle labeled with the name of the region to which the detainees would be sent. A large police force, including riot police, was deployed for security. The National Police Agency also dispatched 215 personnel as part of the Airport On-Site Response Team, led by the Director of Investigation Planning and Coordination (Senior Superintendent General).

This is the third time that Korean criminals have been collectively repatriated from overseas on a chartered flight, and it marks the largest repatriation operation from a single country to date. Medical staff, including doctors and nurses, were also on board the chartered flight in preparation for any emergencies. Typically, two detectives accompany each suspect on a repatriation flight, but in this operation, over 190 personnel were mobilized.