[2025 Audit] 100 Still Missing Among Reported Kidnapping and Confinement Cases in Cambodia

Of the 550 reported cases of kidnapping or confinement in Cambodia, about 100 remain unresolved.

On the 22nd (local time), Nam Seokhyun, the Consul of the Cambodian Police, is responding to questions at the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's national audit held at the Embassy of Cambodia in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which also included the embassies of Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos. Photo by Yonhap News

Kim Hyunsoo, the Acting Ambassador to Cambodia, stated at the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee’s on-site audit held at the Phnom Penh embassy on the 22nd, “Fewer than 20 cases were reported in 2023, but the number surged to 220 last year and 330 this year as of August,” adding, “Out of the 550 cases reported over the past two years, 450 have been resolved.”

This means that the whereabouts of 100 individuals reported as victims of kidnapping or confinement in Cambodia from last year until August remain unconfirmed.

On this day, both ruling and opposition lawmakers criticized the Korean Embassy in Cambodia for failing to respond appropriately, despite a sharp increase in kidnapping and confinement crimes targeting Koreans in Cambodia since last year.

Kim Junhyung, a lawmaker from the Innovation of the Homeland Party, said, “In August, Park Chan-dae of the Democratic Party rescued and repatriated 14 Koreans,” and criticized, “The embassy failed to respond properly because of a complacent attitude, thinking ‘even if we rescue them, they will just return to Cambodia.’”

Acting Ambassador Kim explained, “At the time, we were in contact with the families of the missing persons after receiving the report.” When Assemblyman Kim asked, “Are you saying the embassy worked hard, but Park took the credit?” Acting Ambassador Kim responded, “I meant we were still in the process of handling it.”

The case of a Korean couple, identified as the masterminds behind a romance scam that defrauded victims of approximately 1.2 billion won in Cambodia, was also discussed. Assemblyman Kim questioned, “When the mastermind came to the Korean Embassy in Cambodia to renew their passport, did you only advise them to turn themselves in, even after learning they were on a red notice? Shouldn’t you have reported it?” He added, “At the time, the police consul reportedly only advised them to surrender, and afterward, the couple disappeared and committed further crimes.”

Acting Ambassador Kim stated, “It seems the police consul at the time judged it was not a matter for immediate arrest,” and added, “The couple is currently detained by the Cambodian police.”

When In Yo-han, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, asked about solutions to crimes occurring in Cambodia, the local police consul explained that it is difficult to handle all work with only three police officers and two administrative staff. He said, “It takes a long time to provide guidance and respond to each and every report of kidnapping or confinement.”

Kim Seokki, chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee from the People Power Party, said, “The government has responded far too complacently,” and insisted, “The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency must come to Cambodia immediately and meet with the local authorities in person.”