South Korea to Repatriate 73 Suspects in Online scam Cases from Cambodia
SEOUL, South Korea – Dozens of South Koreans detained in Cambodia for their alleged involvement in online scam compounds will return home this week to face investigations, officials said Thursday. This will be the largest group repatriation of Korean criminal suspects from abroad to date.
The 73 suspects are accused of scamming fellow South Koreans out of 48.6 billion won ($33 million), according to a government statement.
The group – 65 men and eight women – was among approximately 260 South Koreans detained in a recent crackdown in Cambodia. Public outrage over these scam centers surged in South Korea last summer after a Korean student was found dead, reportedly after being forced to work at a scam compound.
Authorities reported the student died after being tortured and beaten. South Korea responded by sending a government delegation to Cambodia in October to discuss a joint response.
South Korea will use a chartered plane to bring the suspects back, with their arrival expected Friday. Upon landing, they will be instantly turned over to investigative authorities.
Cybercrime has been growing in Southeast Asia, notably in Cambodia and Myanmar. trafficked foreign nationals are frequently enough employed to run romance and cryptocurrency scams, lured by false job offers and then subjected to near-slavery conditions. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that scam victims worldwide lost between $18 billion and $37 billion in 2023.
In January, Cambodia arrested and extradited a tycoon to China accused of leading a large online scam operation.
As October, roughly 130 Korean scam suspects have been sent home from Cambodia, along with fewer than 30 suspects from Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. Following FridayS repatriation, approximately 60 South Koreans will remain detained in Cambodia awaiting return, according to police.
South Korean officials estimated in October that around 1,000 South Koreans were working in scam centers in Cambodia, some of whom are believed to be forced laborers.
South Korea says it will continue its efforts to combat scam crimes targeting its citizens.