Around 1,000 Koreans involved in Cambodian scam rings: Seoul

Buildings are seen in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Tuesday. Yonhap

Around 1,000 Koreans are estimated to be involved in organized crime rings in Cambodia, although it remains unclear how many are victims and how many participated voluntarily, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Wednesday.

The estimate comes amid mounting concerns in Seoul over Cambodian crime rings accused of orchestrating job scams and kidnappings that have trapped dozens of Koreans in the Southeast Asian nation.

"The online scam industry in Cambodia is reportedly employing around 200,000 people of various nationalities, targeting victims worldwide, including Korea. While the exact number of Koreans involved there is unclear, our related authorities estimate it to be around 1,000 individuals," Wi said during a briefing at the presidential office.

According to witnesses and survivors, many Korean victims were lured through online ads promising high salaries for work such as interpretation, data entry or social media management, with relocation and other costs covered. After arriving, they found themselves held captive, forced to take part in online scams or extortion schemes.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac arrives for a media briefing at the presidential office in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

As Seoul rushes to repatriate those involved and locate individuals reported to have been abducted, the national security adviser emphasized the challenges in distinguishing victims from perpetrators.

"Some people who went to Cambodia voluntarily became involved in criminal activity, and later wanted to return, but they couldn't. In a sense, they are both victims and offenders at the same time," he told reporters.

The government's top priority is to secure the swift return of about 60 Koreans currently detained in Cambodia, among roughly 90 suspects arrested during raids on scam compounds there in July and September.

"Above all, it is important to swiftly remove individuals from the crime scenes and conduct investigations to determine the extent of their involvement," Wi said. "For these efforts, active cooperation with Cambodian authorities is essential."

A joint government task force departed for Phnom Penh later Wednesday for urgent discussions with Cambodian officials.

The delegation, led by Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina, includes Park Sung-joo, head of the National Office of Investigation, along with officials from the Ministry of Justice and the National Intelligence Service.

Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina speaks to the press at Incheon International Airport, Wednesday, as she departs for Cambodia. Yonhap

During her visit, Kim is expected to meet her counterpart at Cambodia's foreign ministry to discuss cooperation on repatriating detained citizens. The exact duration of the delegation's stay has not been disclosed.

"Since this issue is related directly to the lives and safety of our citizens, we will approach it with a strong sense of responsibility," Kim told reporters at Incheon International Airport prior to her departure.

Police officials are also expected to discuss plans for a joint investigation into the death of a 22-year-old Korean university student.

The student was found dead in Cambodia in August after allegedly being kidnapped and tortured, a case that drew public attention to the growing scale of transnational scams.

Separate from the joint task force, the foreign ministry plans to dispatch Park Il, a former ambassador to Lebanon, to temporarily fill the vacant envoy post in Cambodia. The Korean Embassy in Phnom Penh has been struggling to keep up with a surge in consular cases, operating with only about 10 officials.

The foreign ministry imposed a travel ban — the highest tier in the government's four-level warning system — on Cambodia's Bokor Mountain region, Kampot Province, Bavet City and Poipet City, effective at the start of Thursday. Korean nationals who visit or stay in these areas may be subject to punishment under the Passport Act.

Despite Korea's own efforts, securing cooperation with Cambodian authorities appears to be crucial, as Korean officials have limited ability to act unilaterally on foreign soil.

Efforts to locate and repatriate missing Koreans are expected to face major hurdles, as authorities appear to have only a partial grasp of how many have been lured to Cambodia by fraudulent job offers.

As of August, around 80 Korean nationals remained unaccounted for in the country, officials said. Nearly two months have passed since then, with no updated numbers released.

Further complicating matters, several media reports suggest that some crime rings in Cambodia's Sihanoukville have begun relocating following increased media exposure and scrutiny from the Korean government.