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Cambodian firm allegedly involved in online scams may have operated office in Seoul

Published: 17 Oct. 2025, 10:35

Screenshot of the Prince Real Estate Group’s official website [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The Prince Group, a Cambodian company sanctioned by the United States and United Kingdom for its alleged involvement in large-scale online scams and human trafficking, appears to have operated an office in central Seoul.

The group's real estate affiliate, Prince Real Estate Group, lists a “Korea office” in Sunhwa-dong, Jung District, central Seoul, on its official website, according to Rep. Suh Bum-soo of the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee on Thursday. However, the listed contact number uses Cambodia’s country code.

Rep. Suh’s office said the address corresponds to a shared office space, and it could not confirm whether the group is actively conducting business at the location. The phone number was also found to be disconnected.

There are signs the Prince Group has remained active in Korea until recently. Prince Real Estate Group promoted the opening of a showroom in Seoul in May and held a gallery event in the city in August. In 2022, it reportedly participated in an exchange event with the Korean Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia.

“If the group is conducting business activities in Korea, we cannot rule out the possibility that criminal funds are flowing into the country,” Suh said. “A government-level investigation and response is necessary.”

The Prince Group is a major Cambodian conglomerate with interests spanning real estate, finance, tourism and food and beverage. It has expanded its local influence through political connections and corporate social responsibility campaigns.

However, it has recently been identified as being behind human trafficking operations that lured foreign nationals with fake job postings, only to detain and exploit them.

The United States and British governments sanctioned the Prince Group and its chairman, Chen Zhi, in September and seized cryptocurrency assets worth approximately 21 trillion won ($14.8 billion). Authorities from both countries said the group played a central role in an international online criminal network based in Cambodia.

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 BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]