"Overseas Voice Phishing Criminal Response Task Force"
Pushing for Repatriation of Key Leaders and Crackdown on Crime Complexes
"Plans to Crack Down on Crime Complexes and Rescue Victims in Cooperation with Cambodian Authorities"
Koreans detained for involvement in online scams in Cambodia are being repatriated through Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on the morning of the 18th. Photo by Yonhap News
The Ministry of Justice has decided to freeze and recover criminal proceeds that were funneled into Cambodian crime complexes, based on the results of investigations by the prosecution and police.
On the 20th, the Ministry of Justice announced, "We will make every effort to recover the criminal proceeds of criminal organizations by actively utilizing the 'Southeast Asia Cooperation Network' established by the Ministry." The Southeast Asia Cooperation Network (SEAJust) is a collaborative network of central authorities from 22 countries, including Korea, China, Japan, the United States, and various Southeast Asian nations, operated by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) with support from the Korean Ministry of Justice.
In response to Cambodian criminal organizations targeting Koreans, the Ministry of Justice, together with the prosecution, police, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Intelligence Service, and Financial Services Commission, launched the "Overseas Voice Phishing Criminal Response Task Force" in August. Through this task force, the ministry is working to expedite the repatriation of key criminal leaders and crack down on overseas crime complexes.
The Ministry of Justice stated, "The task force has held two official meetings and maintained ongoing communication, selecting approximately 20 to 30 criminals in China, Cambodia, and other regions as priority targets for repatriation (including 12 in Cambodia). We are making every effort to ensure their swift return, and in cooperation with Cambodian authorities, we are planning to crack down on Cambodian crime complexes and rescue victims."
Previously, in connection with the death of a Cambodian university student, the Ministry of Justice received a notice from the prosecution and police on the 5th of last month regarding the possibility of an autopsy. After discussing the matter with the relevant official from the Cambodian Ministry of Justice via video conference, the ministry sent a request for mutual legal assistance on the 10th of last month, requesting an autopsy and investigative materials for the victim.
Subsequently, on October 10-11, Vice Minister of Justice Lee Jinsu took measures to ensure the prompt execution of the mutual legal assistance request by directly asking the Vice Minister of the Cambodian Ministry of Interior for a swift autopsy of the Korean university student during the Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime in the ASEAN Region (AMMTC) held in Malaysia.
In addition, on the 15th of this month, the Ministry of Justice dispatched a prosecutor and an investigator in charge of mutual legal assistance from the International Criminal Affairs Division to the "Government Joint Response Team" that departed for Cambodia, supporting the team's activities and directly involving the prosecutor in the autopsy conducted that day. The dispatched prosecutor and investigator are scheduled to meet with the Vice Minister of the Cambodian Ministry of Justice on the 21st to request the prompt provision of investigative records related to the deceased victim and to discuss cooperation measures for responding to scam centers in Cambodia.
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