As scam crimes, kidnappings, and detentions targeting Koreans have continued to occur in Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, the Korean police have launched an international cooperation council in partnership with eight countries and international organizations to jointly respond to transnational crimes.
On October 23, the Korean National Police Agency inaugurated the "International Cooperation Council for Joint Response to Transnational Scam Complexes" at the Conrad Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, with participation from international police organizations such as Interpol and ASEANAPOL, as well as eight countries including Thailand, the Philippines, Laos, and the United States.
This council, led by the Korean police, is the first official cooperation platform where the international community jointly responds, aiming to establish a practical cooperation system to counter new types of transnational crimes such as cyber fraud, voice phishing, and virtual asset crimes.
In recent years, scam complexes operating mainly in Southeast Asia have been generating victims worldwide through investment scams using social networking services (SNS) and messengers, romance scams, and phone fraud. In particular, these crimes have escalated into international human rights issues, as they are linked to organized crime, illegal detention, and human trafficking.
Through this council, the Korean National Police Agency plans to strengthen information sharing related to scam complexes, activate joint investigations, and establish real-time response systems between countries, thereby concretizing the cooperation framework. Furthermore, the council will be linked to the "Breaking Chains" transnational joint operation.
Next month, an operational meeting will also be held in Seoul, with the participation of international organizations such as Interpol, ASEANAPOL, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), as well as major partner countries.
At the inauguration ceremony, Interpol stated, "We will take the lead in coordinating participating agencies," and added, "In cooperation with the Korean National Police Agency, we will respond strongly to scam crimes worldwide."
Lee Junhyung, Director of International Cooperation at the Korean National Police Agency, said, "Scam complexes go beyond simple financial fraud and are international crimes that combine human trafficking, organized crime, and cybercrime," adding, "Through the international cooperation council, the Korean police will create a new model of international policing that operates as a single network."
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