Lee vows all-out response to transnational crimes involving scams, drugs, gambling

President Lee Jae Myung holds a meeting with senior aides at the presidential office in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday instructed government agencies to mobilize all resources to tackle transnational crimes, such as scams, drug trafficking and online gambling, the presidential office said.

Lee made the call as he convened an interagency meeting to discuss coordinated responses with officials from the National Intelligence Service, law enforcement agencies, the ministries of foreign affairs and justice, as well as financial and customs authorities.

"As seen in the recent Cambodia repatriation case, transnational crimes are destroying people's lives, and the social costs will rapidly increase if left neglected," Lee was quoted as saying.

In a written briefing after the meeting, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said the government also decided to establish an integrated consultative body involving intelligence authorities and key agencies, including the foreign and justice ministries, and to launch a special unit to respond to transnational crimes.

Korea has recently intensified efforts to combat crimes targeting its citizens in Southeast Asia, following reports of South Koreans being abducted and confined in Cambodia in connection with online scam operations.

Lee has vowed to strengthen international cooperation to combat transnational crimes following the torture and death of a South Korean college student who was lured into a scam center in Cambodia, which has sparked widespread public outrage.