SEOUL: Ten South Koreans have been arrested in Cambodia for alleged involvement in cyberscams while two others were rescued from criminal operations.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun confirmed the arrests and rescues on Monday following recent repatriations of dozens of nationals linked to fraud schemes.
The ten individuals were detained last Thursday and will be repatriated to South Korea later this week.
Seoul is currently working to locate approximately 80 South Korean nationals who remain unaccounted for in Cambodia.
About 550 South Koreans had been reported missing or held against their will after entering Cambodia since last year, according to foreign ministry data.
South Korean authorities estimate around 1,000 of their citizens are among the 200,000 people working in Cambodia’s multibillion-dollar scam industry.
Some victims have been forced under threat of violence to execute “pig butchering” scams that build trust with victims before stealing funds.
Over the weekend, Cambodia repatriated 64 South Korean nationals allegedly linked to these fraud operations.
Those deported were detained immediately upon boarding their chartered flight home and escorted off the plane in handcuffs.
Seoul’s National Police Agency announced Monday it was seeking arrest warrants for 59 of the repatriated individuals.
The group included both “voluntary and involuntary participants” in criminal activities, according to National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac.
Repatriated individuals have been implicated in crimes including voice phishing, romance scams and “no-show” fraud schemes.
The high-profile crackdown follows public outcry over the torture and killing of a South Korean college student in Cambodia earlier this year.
South Korean foreign ministry officials recently met with Cambodia’s prime minister and local police to discuss fake jobs and scam centres. – AFP
