More than 80 Koreans in Cambodia still unaccounted for, say officials
Published: 14 Oct. 2025, 18:07
![This pool photo taken on July 14 and released on July 16 by Agence Kampuchea Presse shows suspects with their hands ziptied after being detained during a raid on a scam centre in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. [AFP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/14/0dd28240-9a5f-449c-932e-a60ebefc7a1c.jpg)
This pool photo taken on July 14 and released on July 16 by Agence Kampuchea Presse shows suspects with their hands ziptied after being detained during a raid on a scam centre in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. [AFP/YONHAP]
More than 80 Korean nationals who entered Cambodia this year remain unaccounted for, Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Tuesday, as reports of illegal detentions and online scam operations continue to rise across the region.
The ministry said it received 330 reports of Koreans either missing or detained in Cambodia between January and August, up sharply from 220 cases in all of 2024, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Of this year’s cases, about 260 have been resolved. Authorities said those individuals were confirmed not to be in detention — either because they were released, deported, returned home voluntarily or reestablished contact with family members.
The ministry defines a case as “resolved” once it confirms the person is no longer being held against their will, even if they were temporarily detained or arrested by local police.
“As of August, we have not been able to confirm the safety of more than 80 individuals,” a Foreign Ministry official said. “That figure is based on initial reports and may include duplicates, which are currently being cross-checked.”
Korea’s National Police Agency said it has received 143 reports of Koreans missing or allegedly detained in Cambodia since last year. Fifty-two of those cases remain unresolved.
Cambodian authorities have also arrested dozens of Korean nationals in recent raids on online scam operations. In July and September, Cambodian police detained 90 Koreans, with more than 60 remaining in the country, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Officials believe the rise in disappearances and detentions is tied to a shift in criminal activity targeting job-seeking Koreans. Since late 2023, operations that once centered in the Golden Triangle — where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet — have increasingly moved to Cambodia.
The Foreign Ministry designated the Golden Triangle as a no-travel zone early last year. Before that, only one Korean was reported detained in Cambodia in 2022 and 17 in 2023. After the no-travel designation, that number surged to 220 in 2024.
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 [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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