Controversy Over Security Post Access and Timing of Assistance
Hiding in a Convenience Store, Anxiously Buying Items Every Two Minutes
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an explanation regarding reports that the Korean Embassy in Cambodia turned away a citizen who had escaped from a crime zone, but the individual in question expressed frustration, pointing out that some parts of the explanation were not accurate. In April, Mr. A narrowly escaped from a crime complex in Sihanoukville and arrived at the Phnom Penh embassy around 6 a.m., 12 hours later. However, because it was before the embassy's official working hours of 8 a.m., he was denied entry, and later released recorded phone calls with the embassy.
On the 20th, Mr. A told Yonhap News, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims they instructed me to stay at the security post next to the embassy until 8 a.m., but when I actually tried to enter the post, a local security guard blocked me and I couldn't get in." He insisted that because the embassy did not contact the security post to allow him to stay there temporarily, he was ultimately forced to leave the premises.
Mr. A continued, "Since the road in front of the embassy was open, I was worried I could be caught again," adding, "I went into a convenience store on the first floor of a nearby hotel and kept buying items at two-minute intervals to kill time until the embassy opened." Mr. A also refuted the Ministry's explanation that a consular officer met him and provided assistance before 8 a.m., saying, "I waited from 6 a.m., but no one came to be with me before working hours. The consular officer arrived exactly at 8 a.m., not before."
He Provided the Perpetrators' Information, but Was Told "It Doesn't Matter"
After working hours began, Mr. A was allowed into the embassy, but claims he was told, "We cannot protect you inside," and was directed to a nearby guesthouse. He explained, "They took me to a guesthouse unrelated to the embassy. I stayed there until my flight, and before my departure, the consular officer drove me to the airport."
Previously, Mr. A had traveled to Cambodia after hearing about a high-paying job, only to be detained in a crime complex. He said he sent a text message to the embassy asking for help using a phone hidden in his clothes, but was unable to receive assistance because the embassy requested his exact location and a photo. He added, "I wanted to catch the people who detained me, so I secretly checked their names and birthdates from their wallets and wrote them down on a note hidden in my sock, and also recorded the car number." However, he said, "The embassy told me it was meaningless and that they couldn't catch them," expressing his disappointment.
Regarding Mr. A's claim that he could not receive timely help from the embassy because it was outside working hours, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained on the 20th that a call came to the embassy's duty phone around 7 a.m., and they instructed him to wait at the security post. The responsible consular officer was dispatched immediately after receiving the report and met Mr. A before the official 8 a.m. start time to provide consular assistance. The Ministry also announced plans to improve the system so that consular assistance can be provided even when visiting the Cambodian embassy outside of working hours.
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