Cambodia to repatriate South Koreans ensnared by scam industry amid diplomatic pressure

Cambodia said on Thursday that it will repatriate a group of South Korean nationals in custody  after their release from scam compounds, amid diplomatic pressure from the South Korean government following the death in Cambodia of a 22-year-old Korean university student.

In a press release, the Cambodian National Police said they would deport 59 South Korean nationals who were rescued from scam centers or arrested for other “various crimes.” 

The announcement followed a meeting between South Korea’s second vice foreign minister, Kim Jina, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to discuss transnational crime and online scams originating from within Cambodia.  

On Wednesday, South Korea issued a travel ban for its citizens to certain parts of Cambodia, including the border cities of Bavet and Poipet and the Bokor Mountain area, a popular spot for tourists that’s also known for scam compounds. The body of university student Park Minho was found near Bokor in August with signs of torture, authories said, after his family had received a ransom call from scammers. 

His death caused outrage in South Korea and led President Lee Jae Myung this week to demand that all of the country’s citizens ensnared by the scamming industry be “swiftly repatriated.” The government said that 330 of its citizens had been reported missing in Cambodia in the first eight months of the year, 79 of which were still missing as of Wednesday.  

Amnesty International reported in June the existence of at least 53 scam compounds in Cambodia, into which workers are trafficked from throughout the region and the world, often after being tricked by fake job offers. They then are forced to carry out scams like pig butchering, sextortion and other fraudulent investment schemes.

Wi Sung-lac, director of the Korea’s National Security Office, reportedly said on Thursday that the government plans to discuss the cyber scamming issue at the upcoming ASEAN summit later this month in the hopes of coming up with a regional solution to combat transnational crime. 

Cambodia’s role in the scamming industry has been in the limelight recently, with the U.S. Treasury and British authorities this week sanctioning the Phnom Penh-based conglomerate Prince Group and more than 100 affiliated entities over the company’s participation in the illicit industry. Its chairman, Chen Zhi, was indicted by the Justice Department, which seized about $15 billion worth of bitcoin from his alleged wallets. 

The indictment discusses Zhi and Prince Group’s coopting of local authorities, who the company allegedly bribed in exchange for protection from raids and other enforcement.