South Korea pledges to protect citizens in Cambodia amid rise in kidnapping, forced labour cases

SEOUL – The South Korean government has pledged stronger diplomatic and security measures to protect its citizens in Cambodia amid a surge in reported kidnappings and forced labour cases, including the recent death of a 22-year-old South Korean student who was tortured after being lured by a fake job offer.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ordered the authorities to “go all out in terms of diplomacy to safeguard South Koreans from crimes in Cambodia”, according to the presidential office on the night of Oct 11.

It added that the Foreign Ministry sought the Cambodian government’s cooperation and is poised to “take additional measures if necessary”, without elaborating.

This followed the government’s measure to impose a special travel advisory on Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, effective from 9pm local time (10pm Singapore time) on Oct 10.

The Foreign Ministry in Seoul also urged South Koreans not to be duped by fake job advertisements from Cambodia that promise unrealistically high-paying jobs, as victims have fallen prey to kidnapping for ransom or forced involvement in scamming activities.

This comes amid a series of reports of South Koreans being kidnapped and discovered in Cambodia and rescued from the country.

In the latest incident, two South Koreans were discovered in Sihanoukville in south-western Cambodia and rescued by the local police in early October.

The victims reported being threatened, beaten and forced to take part in a scamming operation.

Representative Park Chan-dae, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, said on his Facebook page on Oct 11 that two South Korean nationals were rescued from Cambodia, thanks to the joint effort by the victims’ family, the government and his office.

Mr Park also revealed that his office had played a role in rescuing 14 South Korean nationals near the Cambodian city of Kampot in August, where a body discovered during the rescue operation was later identified as a South Korean student whose surname was Park.

While there are ongoing talks over the repatriation of the body, the South Korean police are reportedly looking to carry out an autopsy later in October, together with the local authorities, before the repatriation process moves on.

The victim was found dead a month after he flew to Cambodia and was kidnapped for ransom, and the cause of death was identified as cardiac arrest after torture.

Later on Oct 12, Mr Park said in a notice to reporters that he would raise the issue in the Parliament’s upcoming regular audit on the government’s performance.

Describing the Cambodian authorities’ stance that a photo or a video of the victim being kidnapped must be presented to initiate rescue operations, Mr Park said on Oct 12 that he would call for state-level response measures during the Parliament’s audit.

Earlier on Oct 11, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement that such a principle appears to have taken root, as there have been cases where victims inside scamming compounds wished to remain there and denied being kidnapped.

The ministry added that the government has asked the Cambodian authorities to initiate rescue operations with minimal requirements, such as the victims’ basic personal information and the locations where they are believed to be held.

South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party also called for an all-out response to deal with the kidnapping cases in Cambodia.

“Instead of relying on diplomatic channels, South Korea should dispatch police officers and seek to cooperate with Interpol and local law enforcement authorities,” read the statement by People Power Party spokesman Cho Yong-sool.

Meanwhile, lawmakers have highlighted a sharp surge in the number of reports of South Koreans being kidnapped in Cambodia.

According to Representative Kim Gunn from the People Power Party, the government received 330 reports of abduction in Cambodia from January to August, up from 220 such reports in 2024.

The figures sharply contrast with two abduction reports in 2021, 11 in 2022, and 21 in 2023.

As at June, Amnesty International estimated that at least 53 scamming compounds exist across Cambodia. It claimed that the Cambodian authorities have failed to crack down on such facilities and subsequently allowed those compounds to continue operating. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK