Presidential Office: "107 Korean Scam Suspects Repatriated from Cambodia Since October... 154 Apprehended Locally"

Reports of Victimization Drop from 93 in October to 17 in November
"We Will Make It Clear That Harming Our Citizens Will Result in Even Greater Losses"

Kang Yoo-jung, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, announced on December 12 that, following President Lee Jaemyung's directive, the government has mounted a comprehensive, whole-of-government response to scam-related crimes in Cambodia since October, resulting in the repatriation of 107 Korean suspects from Cambodia.

Yonhap News Agency

The government has established a close cooperative system, including shifting the Cambodian government's stance on repatriating Korean suspects in a positive direction, through the diplomatic efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Intelligence Service, and the police.

Additionally, as a result of large-scale crackdown operations conducted by the Cambodian authorities in July and September, as well as the on-site visit of a joint response team from the Korean government, the cumulative number of Korean suspects apprehended in Cambodia reached 154 as of the end of November.

Spokesperson Kang explained, "In October, when the joint government response began, there were 93 reports of our citizens being detained or missing in Cambodia. However, as the response started to show results in November, this number dropped sharply to 17, marking a decrease of over 80%."

On October 23, President Lee Jaemyung presided over a meeting of relevant ministers to address scam-related crimes in Cambodia, ordering the establishment of a special response headquarters involving eight agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the National Intelligence Service, and the Financial Services Commission, and calling for strong countermeasures. Since then, the government has continued its strategic efforts, such as holding a Korea-Cambodia summit on October 27 and launching the "Korea Task Force" on November 10.

Spokesperson Kang stated, "The government will continue to respond firmly and decisively to transnational crimes that threaten the safety, lives, and livelihoods of our people, without interruption. We will make it clear that anyone who harms a Korean citizen will lose even more in return."