I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Southeast Asia's scam industry threatens stability of Indo-Pacific region
An official carries the remains of a Korean university student, who was found dead in August near Bokor Mountain in Cambodia, at Incheon International Airport, Tuesday. Yonhap
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Korea should team up with affected nations to stop online fraud: experts
The remains of a Korean university student, identified only by his surname Park for privacy reasons, were returned to Korea on Tuesday, more than two months after he was found dead near a criminal compound in the Bokor Mountain area of Cambodia.
Local police said Park had been brutally tortured which ultimately led to cardiac arrest. Korean forensic experts who traveled to Cambodia on Monday conducted an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Witnesses reported that Park’s body showed extensive bruising, indicating severe physical abuse prior to his death. He was cremated following the autopsy.
Park had left Korea on July 17, telling his parents he would attend an exhibition in Cambodia. Shortly after his arrival, his family lost contact with him. News of his death surfaced nearly a month after his departure, sending shockwaves through Korea.
Park’s death has sparked widespread outrage. Survivors of similar experiences at criminal compounds in Cambodia have been sharing harrowing testimonies online, exposing the systemic abuse occurring in these locations. Their stories gained traction quickly, turning public sentiment against Korea’s foreign ministry and police for what many view as a lack of timely response.
In response, the Korean government has announced a series of emergency measures aimed at rescuing Korean nationals confined in criminal compounds across Cambodia.
Kim Hee-jun, a partner at Seoul-based law firm LKB & Partners, said Korea has legal grounds to prosecute not only Korean nationals who collude with Chinese-run criminal syndicates — such as the 64 individuals extradited from Cambodia last week — but also the foreign nationals responsible for torturing and killing Koreans.
However, Kim emphasized the legal complexities involved in prosecuting transnational crimes, particularly when the host country is uncooperative.
“These crimes — kidnapping and torturing Koreans to death — were committed by foreign nationals in a foreign country,” Kim said. “Cambodia holds primary jurisdiction over these cases because the crimes took place on its soil. However, if Cambodia agrees to extradite the suspects to Korea, our authorities can prosecute them here, even if they are foreigners, because they killed Korean citizens.”
Kim, a former prosecutor, stressed that the Cambodian government's full cooperation is crucial for justice to be served.
The logo of Prince Bank is seen in this photo taken in Cambodia, Oct. 17. The bank is part of Prince Group, accused of kidnapping and torturing Koreans, including forcing them into work in Cambodia's scam sector. Yonhap
'Scam cities'
Cambodia has become a haven for online fraud operations run by Chinese criminal groups, following China’s crackdown on illegal gambling activities in the late 2010s. As a result, many operators relocated their illegal businesses to neighboring Southeast Asian countries, where free economic zones have turned into hotbeds for criminal investments from these syndicates.
Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos have since emerged as major hotspots for human trafficking and scam operations, with large numbers of victims forced to work for fraudulent schemes.
Jung Bub-mo, a professor at Pukyong National University in Busan and an expert on Southeast Asia, explained that these criminal networks are difficult to track in part because they mask their operations using IP addresses from neighboring countries such as Thailand.
“Most of the economic enclaves in Southeast Asia are located near borders, so these groups tend to operate in border towns,” he said. “The Chinese are the largest investors in these zones, making it difficult for countries like Cambodia, Laos or Myanmar to fully exercise their sovereignty, given their economic ties to China.”
Jung added that the sheer number of criminal organizations operating in the region further complicates efforts to combat transnational crime.
Cambodia’s coastal city of Sihanoukville, once known for its scenic beaches, has become a stronghold for Chinese crime rings. It has joined cities like Myawaddy in Myanmar and Bamban in the Philippines as a notorious center for online fraud, slave labor, human trafficking and widespread human rights abuses. East Timor has also recently been flagged by the United Nations as an emerging hub for international online fraud.
According to the U.N., more than 100,000 people are believed to be involved in online scams in Cambodia, either as perpetrators or victims. These scams include romance scams and “pig butchering,” in which victims are tricked into long-term scams designed to drain them financially.
A U.N. report also revealed that individuals from more than 40 countries — including nations in Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East — are trapped in these criminal compounds. Among the largest groups of trafficked victims are Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai nationals. Notably, the number of Korean victims in Cambodia’s scam industry has risen sharply since 2022.
Security guards are seen at the front gate of the Korean Embassy in Phnom Penh. Yonhap
'Fixing the cow house after losing the animal'
The Korean government is facing backlash for what many view as a delayed response to the growing crisis of its citizens falling victim to scams and human trafficking in Cambodia. Critics have likened the government’s actions to “fixing the cow house after losing the animal.”
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on Monday that all staff at the Korean Embassy in Phnom Penh are now on standby 24/7 to assist Korean nationals in distress. He also stated that, if necessary, even embassy security personnel would be trained and mobilized to provide assistance to Koreans in urgent need.
In a move to bolster consular support, Cho announced plans to dispatch 40 additional consuls to Cambodia and neighboring countries, citing the rising number of Koreans who have been victimized by trafficking, online fraud and other criminal activities in the region.
Meanwhile, Korean police have launched a task force dedicated to responding to the families of nationals reported missing in Cambodia.
However, survivor testimonies paint a picture of a government that was slow to act — particularly in the early stages of the crisis. One survivor who escaped from a criminal compound in Sihanoukville recounted how he felt a momentary sense of relief upon reaching the Korean Embassy. But when he called for help, he was told that the embassy had closed for the day, as working hours ended at 3:30 p.m.
Despite receiving repeated death threats from the criminals pursuing him, his request to shelter within the embassy overnight was denied. He had to spend a sleepless night in a nearby hotel, fearing for his life. The next morning, he returned to the embassy, exhausted and terrified.
In another case, a woman reported her adult son missing after the family lost contact with him upon his arrival in Cambodia. When she turned to the police for help, her request was dismissed; the police reportedly did not believe her claim.
These incidents have fueled public outrage and intensified scrutiny of both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and law enforcement agencies, prompting demands for deeper accountability and long-term reforms in consular services.
Despite the Korean government’s recent measures to protect its nationals abroad, critics argue they are insufficient to deter or dismantle the powerful criminal syndicates operating across Southeast Asia.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet during a meeting ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin, China, in this photo taken and released on Aug. 30 by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP), the national news agency of Cambodia. AFP-Yonhap
Military action
Lee Jae-hyon, a principal fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, emphasized that only a coordinated regional response can curb the growing threat of transnational online fraud and human trafficking.
“A joint response involving Cambodia, ASEAN member states and other Indo-Pacific partners is essential,” Lee said. “Seoul should collaborate with these countries to address the seriousness of online scams and fraud schemes run by criminal syndicates, and develop effective strategies to fight these transnational crimes.”
However, Lee pointed out that establishing a functional regional platform will be difficult, mainly due to China’s central role.
“China holds the key in this situation. The vast majority of operators behind the criminal compounds are Chinese nationals,” he said. “China is a crucial stakeholder. Chinese citizens are both the perpetrators and, in many cases, the victims. Once raids are conducted on these compounds, the majority of the people rescued will be Chinese.”
While some Korean lawmakers have proposed military action as a last resort to rescue kidnapped nationals and disrupt criminal operations, Lee dismissed the idea as dangerous and unrealistic.
“Imagine what would happen if the Korean military launched a raid in Cambodia to target Chinese criminals,” he warned. “The consequences would be unpredictable and likely catastrophic.”
Still, proponents — mainly politicians — argue that Seoul must send a strong message that it will not tolerate the kidnapping, forced labor and torture of its citizens abroad.
Rep. Kang Min-kuk of the main opposition People Power Party drew parallels to the “Daybreak in the Gulf of Aden” operation in 2011, when Korea used military force to rescue hostages from Somali pirates.
“Just as we rescued Korean sailors held by Somali pirates, we must also seriously consider military action against the criminals who tortured and killed Korean nationals or forced them to participate in scams,” Kang said during a National Policy Committee audit at the National Assembly.
He also suggested that Seoul should consider leveraging its development aid to Cambodia if the country fails to fully cooperate in efforts to rescue Korean victims and prosecute perpetrators.
Several lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) echoed support for potential military intervention. DPK Reps. Lee Un-ju, Park Beom-kye and Jeon Hyun-heui publicly endorsed the idea, calling it a last resort to protect Korean citizens from ongoing dangers abroad.
A crucial question remains: Will China be willing to cooperate with Korea and other affected Indo-Pacific nations in prosecuting the criminal syndicates, the members of which are mostly Chinese nationals?
China has previously participated in joint operations to rescue its citizens abroad. In January, Chinese actor Wang Xing disappeared after arriving in Myanmar for a job interview. It later emerged that he had been lured into a scam compound in Myawaddy. As news of his disappearance spread rapidly on social media, public pressure mounted. In response, Chinese authorities deployed senior officials to collaborate with their Thai counterparts, applying pressure on Myanmar’s local military allies who controlled the scam compounds. Wang was eventually rescued, though it remains unclear whether other victims were also freed during the operation.
However, the current situation is different. Unlike the targeted rescue of a public figure like Wang, China appears to have little incentive to join a potential Korea-led regional effort to crack down on Chinese criminal groups operating abroad.
Choo Jae-woo, a professor of China studies at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, noted that China’s response to such a proposal will depend largely on how seriously Beijing regards the issue.
“I am not aware of any official stance China has taken regarding the trafficking of Chinese and other nationals by these criminal syndicates,” Choo said.
The Chinese Embassy in Seoul has yet to respond to repeated requests from The Korea Times seeking clarification on China’s position toward these transnational crimes and its willingness to engage in discussions with affected nations, including Korea, about potential joint raids on criminal compounds.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, online fraud has flourished in Southeast Asian cities — many located near or along borders with China — and even spread across the region. Online fraud is increasingly recognized as a security threat to the Indo-Pacific, as numerous countries struggle with kidnappings, killings, and forced labor of their nationals at the hands of Chinese criminal syndicates.