After Asking About Age and Tattoos, Recruiter Says "Just Say You're Visiting a Friend"
Claims Average Income of $7,000... Advises Deleting Banking Apps
"Says Korean Police Are Just Ordinary Guys Without Cambodian Police"
Officials from the National Forensic Service of Korea and police investigators are seen leaving Tuk Tla Temple in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on the 20th (local time), after completing the autopsy and cremation procedures of Korean university student Park Mo, who was kidnapped and killed by a local criminal organization. 2025.10.20 Yonhap News Agency.
While 64 individuals have been arrested in Cambodia on charges including various fraud crimes and are currently facing extradition and arrest warrant requests in Korea, it has been reported that local recruiters are still actively targeting Koreans through Telegram. There have even been instances where these recruiters mocked law enforcement, telling concerned Koreans, "If a Korean police officer comes alone, he's just like any other neighborhood man," in response to recent news reports.
On October 20, former People Power Party lawmaker Hong Seokjun shared Telegram conversation logs between an acquaintance and a recruiter via Facebook. Hong stated, "Even now, Cambodian recruiters are openly operating in Korea, almost as if they are mocking the authorities' crackdowns."
In the conversation, the recruiter asked about age and whether the person had any tattoos. Upon hearing there were none, the recruiter reassured the individual that it would not be a problem. The recruiter then instructed the individual to say they were visiting a friend studying abroad when asked about the purpose of their visit.
When questioned about the nature of the work, the recruiter replied, "Of course, it's illegal work because it pays high income. The office has about 10 Koreans and a good atmosphere, and there is absolutely no confinement," and proceeded to share examples of people earning large sums of money.
When asked whether there was a risk of being caught by the authorities or if the Korean police would come after them, the recruiter said, "If Korean police come without Cambodian police, they're just like any other neighborhood man."
Local police officers are coming and going in front of the mortuary at Tuk Tla Temple in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
In response, former lawmaker Hong Seokjun stated, "We cannot allow these dangerous situations to continue. The police must thoroughly root out domestic organizations connected to Cambodia," and urged, "The Lee Jaemyung administration must focus on protecting the people instead of dedicating all its efforts to suppressing the previous administration and undermining the prosecution."
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