The presidential office in South Korea has formed a task force (TF) in response to ongoing serious crimes in Cambodia targeting Koreans, including employment scams, kidnapping, confinement, torture, and murder. This issue has been referred to as the “Cambodia Crime City” case.
Today, on the 13th, a meeting led by National Security Office Director Wi Sung-lak will convene for the first time as part of the ‘Cambodia Korean Crime Response TF.’ The TF will include representatives from various ministries and agencies, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, the National Police Agency, and the National Intelligence Service.
During the TF meeting, discussions are expected to focus on diplomatic approaches such as asking Cambodian authorities to relax crime reporting requirements and procedures, increasing response personnel, and potentially establishing a ‘Korean Desk.’
Previously, on the 11th, President Lee Jae-myung directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make every effort to protect Korean nationals from crimes in Cambodia. Prior to that, on the 10th, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun summoned Kuwan Ponlethara, the Cambodian ambassador to Korea, to express strong concerns regarding these crimes.
In addition, the travel alert for the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, has been elevated to a special travel advisory.
SBS’s “I Want to Know” has reported multiple times on the “Cambodia Crime City” incident, where Korean individuals were allegedly persuaded to travel to Cambodia under the promise of debt cancellation, only to be kidnapped, assaulted, tortured, and coerced into participating in scams such as voice phishing.
A recent incident involved a Korean university student in his 20s, who was found dead in Cambodia in August after stating he was traveling for an expo. His body has yet to be repatriated.
Back in July, the presidential office had already begun crafting countermeasures to dismantle “Cambodian criminal organizations.” At that time, discussions included assessing the situation, establishing cooperation and negotiation systems with Cambodian authorities, increasing the number of local police consuls, and deploying dedicated police for Korean-related crimes.
The possibility of designating frequently affected areas as travel-restricted zones is also being considered. A senior official from the presidential office noted that they will first focus on communication with Cambodian authorities and assess the response situation for a phased approach.