Home > National > Social Affairs

National Policy Agency forms int'l alliance with 8 countries to dismantle scam syndicates in Cambodia

Published: 23 Oct. 2025, 19:16

Officials from the National Police Agency, Interpol, Aseanapol and other investigative agencies meet at the inauguration ceremony of the international investigative cooperation alliance at the Conrad Seoul hotel in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul on Oct. 23. [NEWS1]

Korea’s National Police Agency will launch a joint international crackdown operation called “Breaking Chains” to dismantle scam syndicates operating in Cambodia and other regions. The government is also expanding its diplomatic engagement to coordinate international efforts to target these criminal hubs.

On Thursday, the National Police Agency announced the establishment of an international investigative cooperation alliance at the Conrad Seoul hotel in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul. Representatives from eight countries — Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar — and officials from Interpol and Aseanapol attended the event. The alliance is a formal platform for multilateral cooperation, focused on fighting rising transnational crimes such as voice phishing, investment scams involving virtual assets and romance scams.

The alliance will pursue coordinated enforcement operations through the cross-border campaign “Breaking Chains,” and a joint operational meeting is scheduled to be held in Seoul in November. Members will also strengthen information sharing on criminal compounds, promote cooperative investigations and build real-time response systems.

Korean police have previously tackled voice phishing scams through international cooperation. Last year, as part of “Operation HAECHI” in coordination with China via Interpol, Korean authorities busted a voice phishing ring that defrauded more than 1,900 victims of an estimated 1.5 trillion won ($1 billion). According to Interpol, the operation involved law enforcement from 40 countries, resulting in the arrest of more than 5,500 financial crime suspects worldwide and the seizure of over $400 million in illicit funds.

Police plan to expand participation in the cooperation council to include more countries.

“Scam compounds go beyond simple financial fraud — they involve human trafficking, organized crime and cybercrime,” said Lee Jun-hyeong, the head of international cooperation at the National Police Agency. “Through this council, we aim to establish a new international policing model that operates as one unified network.”

Yoo Jae-sung, the acting commissioner general of the National Police, speaks at the inauguration ceremony for the “International Investigative Cooperation Alliance” at the Conrad Seoul hotel in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul on Oct. 23. [YONHAP]

The international crackdown is not limited to law enforcement. The Foreign Ministry and related agencies are also stepping up cross-border cooperation. Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo met with Philippine officials in Manila on Wednesday to discuss joint efforts to dismantle scam compounds. The National Intelligence Service told the National Assembly’s intelligence committee that it would increase manpower dedicated to Southeast Asian fraud cases and strengthen cooperation with foreign intelligence agencies to track the possible relocation of criminal bases.

Separately, police have launched a preliminary investigation into the website “Hades Cafe,” which allegedly lured Koreans into scam compounds in Cambodia. The cyber investigation division of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency received the case on Oct. 15 and has since begun its inquiry.

Hades Cafe has come under fire for hosting unregulated posts advertising “high-paying overseas jobs,” which were linked to voice phishing operations and the recruitment of mule accounts. Authorities say it effectively functioned as a broker platform for criminal organizations. Police confirmed that the site’s servers are located overseas and have requested assistance from law enforcement in that jurisdiction.

President Lee Jae Myung earlier ordered the immediate removal of illegal overseas job ads targeting Southeast Asia. Hades Cafe is currently blocked from access.

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 IM SOUNG-BIN [[email protected]]