Man sentenced to 10-year prison term for transferring acquaintance to criminal organization in Cambodia
This photo shows a building at an alleged criminal complex near Phnom Penh, Cambodia amid a series of abductions and detentions of Koreans in the country, Oct. 16. Yonhap
A man in his 20s was sentenced to a 10-year prison term Wednesday for handing over an acquaintance to a criminal organization in Cambodia and confining him for more than 20 days.
The Seoul Central District Court convicted the man, surnamed Shin, of threatening his accomplices, surnamed Park and Kim, respectively, into sending the victim to Cambodia after he refused to participate in a fraudulent scheme.
"Even so, he has completely denied it, refused to cooperate in the investigation process, and complained only of being wronged during the trial without even submitting a letter of apology," the bench said.
In an unusual move, the court's sentence of 10 years was longer than the nine years sought by the prosecution. It also handed down prison terms of five years and 3 1/2 years to Park and Kim, respectively.
Shin and his accomplices duped the victim into boarding a flight to Cambodia by promising to cancel his debts if he brought back a contract for a tourism program they said they were planning in the Southeast Asian country.
Once he arrived, the victim was taken away by a voice phishing ring and confined at a criminal complex, where his passport and cellphone were taken away and his bank account was used in crimes.
Shin and his accomplices also demanded money from the victim's parents in exchange for his release.
The victim was eventually rescued with the help of the Korean Embassy in Phnom Penh.
The ruling comes as Korea has been grappling with growing crimes against its nationals in Cambodia, highlighted by the case of a college student found tortured to death there in August.
On Saturday, 64 suspects were repatriated from Cambodia over their alleged participation in online scam rings involved in the abduction and detention of Koreans.