Tragedy of Korean youth caught in Cambodia’s crime web

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Tragedy of Korean youth caught in Cambodia’s crime web

Published: 21 Oct. 2025, 00:04

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Park Chan-sung

The author is a lawyer and a member of the Human Rights Advisory Council, Pohang University of Science and Technology

Sixty-eight young Koreans detained in Cambodia, including 64 flown home on a chartered flight, have been repatriated as of Oct. 18. The National Intelligence Service estimates that more than 1,000 more Koreans are being held by criminal syndicates in Cambodia. The recent returns mark only the first step in a long process to secure their safe return.

Concerns that Korean citizens were being illegally detained by crime rings in Cambodia had already been raised during a parliamentary audit last year. Yet both the previous and current administrations are being criticized for their slow response. The Foreign Ministry, in particular, reportedly insisted on receiving direct reports from victims themselves, even in cases involving kidnapping and forced confinement. This has raised questions over whether the ministry truly grasped that the situation constitutes an organized human rights violation rooted in international networks of human trafficking and forced labor.

Korean nationals detained in Cambodia for involvement in online scams arrive at Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport on the morning of Oct. 18. More than 190 police officers were deployed for the repatriation. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Some have questioned whether the Koreans held in Cambodia are victims or criminals. Many of those already repatriated face criminal charges under Korean law, and some were even listed on Interpol’s Red Notice database. In effect, many of these young people are both victims of torture, confinement and forced labor and at the same time, offenders under domestic law.

Still, the notion that being a suspect justifies illegal detention or torture is difficult to accept. Turning a blind eye to their safety simply because they became entangled in illicit activity endangers the broader community of Koreans living abroad. Their safe return must be viewed separately from the question of guilt. Those who have broken the law should be investigated and punished through due process. But for now, the government’s top priority must be ensuring their safety and repatriation.

What should the government do next? The challenge lies in the nature of the criminal network involved. Though operating in Cambodia, the syndicates are largely controlled by Chinese groups. The United States and Britain have designated the Chinese-led Prince Group and its chairman, Chen Zhi, as key figures in transnational organized crime for running online scam operations. This underscores the need for Korea to strengthen intelligence-sharing and cooperation with traditional allies to combat such global crime networks.

Efforts to secure the cooperation of the Cambodian government are equally vital. It is regrettable that a plan to establish a “Korean Desk” within the Cambodian National Police reportedly fell through. While continued bilateral negotiations through the Foreign Ministry and the National Police Agency remain essential, Seoul should also use multilateral channels — such as the United Nations — to apply indirect diplomatic pressure. Korea has provided roughly 430 billion won ($310 million) in official development assistance (ODA) to Cambodia this year alone. If Phnom Penh continues to show indifference toward the plight of Korean detainees, maintaining that aid level would be difficult to justify. The European Union’s suspension of ODA to Burundi over human rights violations offers a relevant precedent.

The government must also impose strict penalties on domestic accomplices who lured or recruited Koreans into these criminal networks in coordination with Cambodian syndicates. Japan faced a similar situation when its citizens were trafficked and confined by organized crime groups in Myanmar. The Japanese government not only moved swiftly to coordinate with foreign authorities but also prosecuted the Japanese intermediaries involved.

According to financial authorities on Oct. 19, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) under the Financial Services Commission is reviewing measures to restrict financial transactions from individuals and entities linked to Cambodian crime, including the Prince Group and the financial services company Huione Group. This photo shows Prince Bank headquarters in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Oct. 19. [YONHAP]

If only a handful of young Koreans had participated in online scams or “romance frauds” in Cambodia, the case could have been dismissed as isolated misconduct. But with more than 1,000 people affected, the scale is unprecedented. Even if many were deceived by fraudulent job offers, the government must ask why so many young Koreans felt compelled to travel to Cambodia in the first place. The frustration of marginalized youth — unable to secure stable employment amid prolonged economic stagnation — may have played a role.

This is not just a Cambodian problem. Similar schemes could easily arise elsewhere. Without addressing the structural weaknesses of Korean society, shutting down the crime rings in Cambodia will not prevent others from relocating and preying on vulnerable young people again. The tragedy must become a moment of reckoning — an opportunity for Korea to reflect deeply on how economic despair and social neglect can make its youth targets of transnational crime.

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.