Trial begins for 46 suspects accused of involvement in online scams in Cambodia

Koreans repatriated from Cambodia leave a court after attending an arrest warrant hearing over their alleged involvement in online scams in the central county of Hongseong, South Chungcheong Province, Oct. 20. Yonhap

A trial began Tuesday for 46 suspects accused of participating in online scam rings in Cambodia, including those who were repatriated from the country in October.

A total of 64 suspects were flown back under police custody following a crackdown on criminal organizations believed to be behind the abduction and detention of Koreans in the Southeast Asian country.

The trial's first hearing was held at the Hongseong branch of the Daejeon District Court, with the 46 suspects divided among three judges at different times.

Most of the suspects were men in their 20s. They are accused of participating in romance scams, phone scams involving the impersonation of a prosecutor, cryptocurrency investment fraud and other crimes as part of an international voice phishing organization based in Cambodia and Thailand between June 2024 and July 2025.

Through the schemes, they allegedly stole some 9.4 billion won ($6.4 million) from 110 victims.

"We were able to see how cruel voice phishing crimes are, and that they were 'economic murder' that took away people's foundation of life," a prosecutor said at the hearing. "By thoroughly maintaining the prosecution, we will do our best to restore the victims' lives destroyed by the defendants and redeem the criminal proceeds."