Chartered flight departs to bring home Koreans detained in Cambodia

Cambodian Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Yentieng Puthirasmey, right, poses with Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jin-a of Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation during a meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday. EPA-Yonhap

A chartered flight departed from Incheon International Airport, the country's main gateway west of Seoul, on Friday to bring home approximately 60 Korean nationals who have been detained in Cambodia in connection with online scam operations, the Korean government said.

The flight, KE9689, took off at around 7:26 p.m. for Phnom Penh. It is scheduled to depart the Cambodian capital at around 2 a.m. Saturday, carrying the Koreans, and expected to arrive in Incheon later in the day, the government said.

A large number of law enforcement officers are reportedly on board the flight to escort the individuals being repatriated. Typically, two officers accompany each suspect during such extradition operations.

Korea has sent a joint response team to Cambodia to address crimes targeting nationals amid public outrage over the torture and death of a Korean college student in August.