Seoul: About 80 South Koreans linked to job scams in Cambodia are missing or their safety cannot be confirmed, a foreign ministry official reported as authorities struggle to tackle crimes targeting Koreans amid public outrage over the torture death of a Korean student. Seventy of them were reported missing between January and August this year, while the 10 others have remained unaccounted for since last year, according to data filed by the South Korean Embassy in Cambodia.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the embassy received reports of 330 people missing from their families and friends in the first eight months of this year, up sharply from 220 cases in 2024. All cases other than those involving the missing people have been resolved, as their safety was confirmed either because they were deported after being arrested by police, escaped captivity on their own, or had their whereabouts verified by family members or acquaintances, the official stated.
The numbers, however, need to be cross-checked with figures collected by the police, as they do not completely match. The National Police Agency (NPA) put the missing cases at 52, out of 143 cases filed since last year. The latest figures come as South Korea is making efforts to deal with the crimes spiraling out of control, in which South Koreans are kidnapped and abused by job scam rings that lure them with promises of high-paying work in Cambodia.
The issue has sparked public outrage after a South Korean university student in his 20s was found dead in southern Cambodia in August, following torture and detention, prompting Seoul to take action, including repatriating the nationals and the student's body. Seoul is in talks with Phnom Penh to bring them home as soon as possible.
The ministry official also revealed that some 90 South Koreans were apprehended by Cambodian law enforcement in the job scam crackdown in July and September this year. Under Cambodian law, they are subject to deportation, but had resisted returning home or refused to receive consular assistance from the embassy until some of them began to change their minds. About 60 of them now remain in Cambodia.
"We believe they joined the scams voluntarily," the official said. "We are working closely with our police to enable their swift return home." President Lee Jae Myung instructed officials during a Cabinet meeting to mobilize "all available resources" to help South Korean nationals held in Cambodia return home safely.
The government announced plans to dispatch a joint response team, led by Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina, to Cambodia to work with Cambodian authorities about the matter. The team, joined by the NPA and the National Intelligence Service, will depart Wednesday. The presidential office said the government is considering raising the travel alert for Cambodia. Last week, the foreign ministry raised the alert for Phnom Penh, advising against travel and urging nationals in the area to leave.