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Family of student who was tortured and killed in Cambodia unable to repatriate body

Published: 09 Oct. 2025, 17:32

The logo for Korean police [JOONGANG ILBO]

A Korean university student was tortured and killed in Cambodia, and the victim's family — who have been unable to repatriate the body for over two months — is urging the authorities to expedite the process.

According to police and the bereaved family on Thursday, the 22-year-old university student left home in July during summer break to attend an expo in Cambodia. About a week after arriving, the student’s family received a call from the student’s phone number. The caller, identified as an ethnic Korean of Chinese nationality, said the student had “caused trouble” and was being held captive. The caller demanded 50 million won ($35,000) in exchange for the student’s release.

The student's family immediately reported the incident to the Cambodian Embassy and police, but they were unable to determine where the student was being held. Four days later, the caller cut off contact.

On Aug. 8, the student was found dead in Cambodia. Authorities confirmed that the student had been confined near a criminal compound in the Bokor Mountain area of Kampot Province.

The Korean Embassy and local police said the student died of cardiac arrest brought on by torture and extreme physical pain. The body is expected to be returned to Korea later this month, following an autopsy and local cremation-related procedures.

“We couldn’t sleep after seeing the death certificate,” the student’s family said. “Just imagining how much pain they must have been in is unbearable. Now the body is stuck in a Cambodian freezer, unable to even come home after death — it feels like killing us twice.”

Korean police are working with local authorities to continue the investigation, which is suspected to involve organized crime.

Reports of kidnappings involving Koreans in Cambodia have surged. From 2022 to 2023, only 10 to 20 cases were reported annually, but that number jumped to 220 last year and reached 330 by August of this year.

In response to rising cases of fraud and forced confinement targeting Korean nationals, the Korean government on Sept. 16 issued a Level 2 travel advisory — advising against travel — and a special travel warning for certain regions in Cambodia.

Phnom Penh is currently under Level 2, while Sihanoukville, Bokor Mountain and Bavet are under Level 2.5, designated as special travel alert zones.

“The Foreign Ministry urges Korean nationals to cancel or postpone visits to regions under special travel advisories,” the ministry said. “Those currently residing in these areas should relocate to safer locations as soon as possible.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]