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100 kidnapping, confinement cases involving Koreans in Cambodia unresolved, embassy audit finds

Published: 22 Oct. 2025, 15:42

Kim Hyun-soo, Charge d'affaires of the Korean Embassy in Cambodia, speaks during an on-site audit by the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee at the embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Oct. 22. [NEWS1]

The Korean Embassy in Cambodia said on Wednesday that approximately 100 kidnapping and confinement cases involving Korean nationals over the past two years remain unresolved.

The National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee conducted an on-site audit at the Korean embassies in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos, with the hearing for the Cambodian post held at the Korean Embassy in Phnom Penh.

During the audit, embassy officials said the number of reports has surged — from fewer than 20 in 2023 to 220 last year and 330 as of August this year. Of the 550 cases reported over the past two years, about 450 have been resolved, according to the embassy.

Lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties questioned the embassy’s response and pressed for detailed measures to prevent future incidents, noting the spike in abductions and illegal detentions of Korean nationals in Cambodia.

People Power Party floor leader Rep. Song Eon-seog criticized the embassy’s handling of the issue in a social media post during the hearing, writing, “They are failing to grasp the timeline of how the Korean national’s death was recognized, reported and followed up.”

“It was frustrating to witness the audit today,” Song added. “There is no ambassador currently in office because President Lee Jae Myung has yet to appoint one, and the embassy is not faithfully submitting the requested materials.”

BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]