Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
Lee orders crackdown on ads promoting illegal jobs in Southeast Asia
Clothes and other personal belongings are seen inside a room in a suspected scam compound near Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Yonhap
By Kim Hyun-bin
President Lee Jae Myung directed authorities Friday to launch an immediate crackdown on illegal online recruitment scams involving Southeast Asian countries, after a recent human trafficking scandal in Cambodia.
Lee instructed the Korea Media and Communications Commission, the Korea Communications Standards Commission and the National Police Agency to urgently delete such ads, presidential secretary for public relations and communication Lee Kyu-yeon said during a briefing at the presidential office in Yongsan.
“The president made this decision amid concerns that, as the crackdown intensifies in Cambodia, those running illegal job recruitment schemes may shift their operations to other Southeast Asian nations,” the secretary said.
Authorities will closely monitor websites and social media platforms where illegal recruitment ads are posted and share their findings with major online platforms, including portal operators, Lee added.
Lee Kyu-yeon, senior presidential secretary for public relations, briefs reporters at the presidential office in Yongsan, Friday, about the government’s order to remove illegal job recruitment ads promoting work in Southeast Asia. Yonhap
The government has also formed an interagency task force to coordinate its response and launched a joint consultative body involving Naver, Kakao and Google to begin self-regulatory screening of illegal postings.
“This urgent measure is intended to prevent innocent citizens from falling victim to fraudulent overseas job offers,” Lee said, adding that “ads are being taken down as they are discovered.”
He noted that while the number of illegal job ads has not yet been compiled, authorities are moving quickly to remove visible posts and will begin collecting related statistics once the task force’s operations are fully underway.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said in a press briefing Friday that the government aims to complete the repatriation of Koreans detained in Cambodia within this week by dispatching a chartered flight.
“We are pushing to repatriate them within this week using a chartered flight,” Wi said. “Although it’s difficult to confirm due to possible last-minute variables, we are discussing for the plane to depart Phnom Penh for Incheon around midnight or early Saturday morning, and the discussions have been proceeding smoothly so far.”
Wi added that a sufficient number of police officers will depart from Incheon this evening on the same flight to escort the detainees back, noting that only one relatively large charter aircraft is being arranged for the operation.
Of the 63 Koreans detained in Cambodia, four have already been repatriated, and the remaining detainees held at immigration detention centers and other facilities in Phnom Penh are expected to be aboard the flight.
Two Koreans detained in Cambodia returned to Seoul on Friday, part of a continuing effort to repatriate nationals who were ensnared in the Southeast Asian nation’s infamous scam compounds.
The National Police Agency said the pair arrived at Incheon International Airport earlier in the day. “We are continuing discussions with Cambodian authorities to ensure the swift return of the remaining detainees," a police official said.
Upon arrival, the individuals were taken into custody by their respective local police stations for investigation. Most have already been charged, and arrest warrants will also be issued for others scheduled to return, according to the agency.
The police plan to repatriate those with completed Interpol red notices first, among the roughly 63 Koreans detained in Cambodia. With the latest arrivals, the number of detainees remaining in Cambodian custody has dropped to 61. Authorities expect to complete the repatriation process within about a month.
Cambodian police said Friday that they intend to deport 59 Korean nationals still held in local facilities. However, Korean officials noted that the announcement was “unilateral” and that coordination between the two governments is still underway.