Blue House: "73 Cambodia-Based Scam Group Members to Be Forcibly Repatriated Today... Largest Scale Ever"

The Blue House announced that 73 South Korean suspects involved in a Cambodian scam organization will be forcibly repatriated on the 22nd. The photo shows the arrest scene. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The Blue House announced on January 22 that 73 members of a scam crime organization operating out of Cambodia will be forcibly repatriated this evening. This is the largest forced repatriation to date, and these individuals defrauded approximately 48.6 billion won from 869 South Korean citizens.

Kang Yoojung, spokesperson for the Blue House, made this announcement during a briefing at the Chunchugwan press center on the morning of January 22. The chartered flight carrying the suspects is scheduled to depart from Incheon International Airport at 8:45 p.m. this evening and return to Incheon at 9:10 a.m. on January 23. The suspects include 51 members from the Sihanoukville scam organization, 15 from the Poipet scam group, and 26 from the Mondulkiri scam group.

This repatriation also includes a romance scam couple who were unable to be returned to Korea last October. They used deepfake technology, such as impersonating virtual personas, to defraud 104 South Korean citizens of approximately 12 billion won. To evade the law, they reportedly underwent plastic surgery to alter their appearance. In addition, fugitives involved in sex crimes against minors, scam organization members posing as investment experts, and suspects of hostage robbery and gambling have also been apprehended.

Spokesperson Kang stated, "The government has swiftly pursued repatriation, as leaving serious criminals who have inflicted significant harm on our citizens abroad could send the wrong message of condoning their escape and raises concerns about repeat offenses. Arrest warrants have been issued for all suspects, and they will be handed over to investigative authorities immediately upon arrival in Korea for thorough investigation and judicial processing."

She added, "We will pursue the recovery of criminal proceeds by thoroughly tracking down the suspects' hidden assets. Moving forward, we will continue to respond strictly, centering on the Transnational Crime Special Response Task Force, until overseas-based scam crimes are completely eradicated."