Cambodia scam fallout persists despite weekend repatriations, South Korean lawmaker calls for suspension of foreign aid to the nation

This photo shows Tuek Thla Pagoda in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where the body of a 22-year-old student who died of torture inside a Cambodian scam compound is being kept ahead of a joint autopsy. - Photo: Yonhap

SEOUL: Following the repatriation of dozens of South Koreans from Cambodia on Saturday (Oct 18), a ruling party lawmaker urged the Lee Jae Myung administration to suspend foreign aid to the country if there is no progress on safety issues there.

"If Cambodia continues to refuse to cooperate with South Korea despite diplomatic efforts by President Lee Jae Myung's administration, the government should proactively consider stopping foreign aid to Cambodia," Rep. Jeon Hyun-heui, a three-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, said in a press conference at the National Assembly on Sunday (Oct 19).