2,000 to 3,000 South Koreans Fail to Return from Cambodia Each Year [2025 National Audit]

Number of Unreturned South Koreans Surges 18-Fold in Three Years

Yonhap News

It has been tallied that each year, between 2,000 and 3,000 South Koreans who depart for Cambodia do not return to Korea.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Justice to the office of Park Chan-dae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, on October 20, the number of South Koreans who left for Cambodia surged from 5,476 in 2021 to 35,606 in 2022, 84,378 in 2023, and 100,820 in 2024-an approximately 18-fold increase over three years.

During the same period, the number of South Koreans returning from Cambodia to Korea was 5,363 in 2021, 32,397 in 2022, 81,716 in 2023, and 97,572 in 2024.

The annual number of those who did not return, calculated as the difference between departures and returns, was 113 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, 3,209 in 2022, 2,662 in 2023, and 3,248 in 2024, consistently recording between 2,000 and 3,000 each year. This year as well, from January to August, 67,609 South Koreans traveled to Cambodia, while only 66,745 returned, leaving 848 unreturned.

The actual number of South Koreans staying in Cambodia is believed to be higher when including those who entered Cambodia via neighboring countries such as Thailand or Vietnam and have not returned. According to statistics from the Cambodia Immigration Department, the number of South Koreans entering Cambodia was 6,074 in 2021, 64,040 in 2022, 170,171 in 2023, and 192,305 in 2025, which is significantly higher. Since 2022, the Cambodia Immigration Department's figures have been about twice as high, indicating that a number of South Koreans similar to those entering directly from Korea are entering Cambodia via third countries each year.

Testimonies from local Korean residents and those involved in rescue operations estimate that, depending on the size of criminal compounds, there remain at least several dozen to several hundred South Koreans in Cambodia. Previously, the government estimated that around 200,000 people are involved in Cambodia's online scam industry, with approximately 1,000 of them being South Koreans.

Park Chan-dae emphasized, "If local testimonies are accurate, it appears there are still many victims who have not been identified," adding, "The government must thoroughly cross-check individual immigration records with consular and police data to reassess the status of those who have not returned."