Spy agency tracks down key suspect over death of college student in Cambodia over alleged job scam

South Koreans who were detained in Cambodia over their alleged involvement in online scams arrive at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, Oct. 18, after Cambodia decided to repatriate them. Yonhap

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers Wednesday it has been tracking down a key suspect in connection with the alleged torture and death of a South Korean college student in Cambodia over a job scam.

The NIS confirmed that the key suspect in the killing of the university student in Cambodia earlier this year was found to be an accomplice of the ringleader behind a major drug case in Seoul's Gangnam district in 2023.

The NIS shared the assessment during a closed-door briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee, Reps. Park Sun-won and Lee Seong-kweun told reporters.

The spy agency also confirmed that around 1,000 to 2,000 South Korean nationals are believed to be involved in scam operations in Cambodia, amid a series of job scams involving the abduction and detention of South Koreans in the country.

The NIS first received intelligence on the student's death three days after the incident and identified the suspect within eight days, according to the lawmakers. Police are still tracking down the suspect.

In 2023, young students were deceived into consuming beverages spiked with methamphetamine that were promoted as concentration boosters in Gangnam.

A Chinese national suspected of supplying the drugs was earlier arrested in Cambodia with the agency's assistance.

The NIS added that 57 South Koreans were among 3,075 suspects arrested by the Cambodian police between June and July this year in connection with such scams.

Around 50 scam compounds are currently operating in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and other regions, with an estimated 200,000 people taking part in scam operations, according to the NIS.

Meanwhile, the agency noted that it would be more accurate to regard many of the South Koreans involved in the scams as "perpetrators" rather than "victims," as they were initially described when the incidents first came into light.

"The NIS explained that those who went to Cambodia had financial motives and actively participated in the crimes in many cases, for example by providing or using illegal mobile phones," Park said. "It would be more accurate to view many of them, though not all, as suspects or accomplices involved in the crimes rather than as victims."

On North Korea's recent military parade, the NIS said it was intended to boost leader Kim Jong-un's image as a global statesman and highlight that sanctions have little impact on its economy with the support of friendly nations.

North Korea held the massive parade at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on Oct. 10 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.

During the event, attended by high-ranking leaders from China, Russia, Vietnam and others, the North showcased its new Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time in a show of its advanced missile capabilities.