PRIME Minister Hun Manet expressed regret over the death of a South Korean national killed by an online scam syndicate and pledged to redouble efforts to protect South Koreans in Cambodia, according to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry.
Hun Manet made the remarks in a meeting with an emergency interagency response team from the South Korean government, headed by Second Vice-Foreign Minister Kim Jina and including Park Sung-joo, head of the National Office of Investigation, in Phnom Penh on Thursday morning.
The meeting took place amid a rapid surge in the number of South Koreans lured to Cambodia by fraudulent high-paying job offers and related violent crimes, including kidnapping and forced confinement.
“Prime Minister Hun Manet expressed his deep regret and sorrow over the death of a Korean national, and stated that he would make even greater efforts to arrest the suspects currently at large and to protect South Korean nationals in Cambodia,” the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said in a statement.
Public concern has intensified in South Korea following the discovery of a university student’s body in Cambodia in early August.
The student, found near Bokor Mountain in Kampot province – a hotbed of online scam compounds – was determined by Cambodian police to have died after severe torture.
“Prime Minister Hun Manet said that he has been actively making efforts, including strengthening crackdowns, through the Commission for Combating Online Scams that he leads as chairperson,” Seoul’s ministry said.
Hun Manet also expressed concern that South Korea’s decision to raise its travel advisory for Cambodia could negatively affect investment and tourism in the country, requesting a swift downgrade, according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul.
However, Kim said the measure was unavoidable given the current situation, explaining that Seoul would consider lowering the alert once conditions improve.
About 80 cases remain open among reports of South Koreans who entered Cambodia and were reported missing or forcibly confined as of August this year, according to data from South Korea’s Foreign Ministry.
The ministry received 330 such reports between January and August this year and 220 cases for all of 2024, most of which – about 260 this year and 210 last year – have since been resolved.
However, observers warn that the number of victims may be far higher.
Seoul has estimated that more than 1,000 South Koreans could be in scam compounds in Cambodia, though their involvement in criminal activities has not been confirmed. — The Korea Herald/ANN
