SEOUL: South Korean police announced they have issued arrest warrants for 45 suspects recently deported from Cambodia over alleged links to cyberscam operations.
A police official from Chungnam province confirmed that detention was deemed necessary for all individuals involved.
Authorities declined to provide further details as the investigation remains ongoing.
Sixty-four South Korean nationals, detained in Cambodia for their suspected roles in scam centres, returned home on a chartered flight last Saturday.
South Korean officials immediately detained the individuals upon their arrival, escorting them off the plane in handcuffs.
The National Police Agency confirmed that 45 suspects were transferred to southwestern Chungnam province while the remaining nineteen were sent to other regions.
Seoul estimates approximately one thousand South Koreans are among 200,000 people working in Cambodian scam operations.
Some victims have reportedly been forced under violent threats to conduct “pig butchering” cryptocurrency investment scams.
This repatriation follows public outrage over the torture and killing of a South Korean student in Cambodia earlier this year.
National Office of Investigation head Park Sung-joo stated the repatriated individuals face allegations involving voice phishing, romance scams, and “no-show” fraud schemes.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac previously indicated the group included both voluntary and involuntary participants in the criminal operations. – AFP
