[Herald Economy = Reporter Moon Young Gyu] With the increase in the number of Koreans falling victim to kidnapping and death in Cambodia, a controversial photo of a “trash can passport” presumed to have been found in a business district in Cambodia has emerged.
On the 12th, a post titled “Photos that are scary when you understand them” was shared in an online community by a user referred to as A, who stated, “These are items found in a trash can in a Cambodian business district earlier this year,” along with photos revealing passports from various countries appearing to have spilled out of a trash can.
User A added a description stating there were “numerous Thai passports.”
Viewers of the post left a variety of comments such as “I hope the green passports aren’t ours,” “It’s scary,” “We should sever ties with Cambodia,” “We need to send military forces,” and “I get scared every time I read about Cambodia.”
While there is speculation that these are abandoned passports of those kidnapped or detained in Cambodia, the authenticity has not been verified.
This year alone, there have been 880 reports of kidnapping in Cambodia…President Lee orders full efforts to protect citizens.
Recently, cases of employment fraud, confinement, and torture targeting Koreans have been on the rise in Cambodia.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports of Korean kidnappings in Cambodia have significantly increased from about 10-20 cases annually in 2022-2023 to 220 cases last year and 330 cases by August this year.
Following incidents such as last August when a university student, referred to as A, was tortured and killed by a criminal organization in Cambodia, President Lee Jae-myung has ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to put forth all efforts to respond.
A presidential office representative stated, “Upon receiving recent reports related to crimes in Cambodia, the president has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to exert diplomatic efforts to protect our citizens.”
This official further mentioned, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken various measures, including securing cooperation from the Cambodian government and will take additional steps if necessary.”