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Survey shows travel interest in Southeast Asia declines due to Cambodia crime surge

Published: 23 Oct. 2025, 14:34 Updated: 23 Oct. 2025, 18:01

A cremation ceremony is held on Oct. 20 at Tuek Thla Pagoda in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for Park, a university student who died after being detained and tortured at an online scam compound in Bokor Mountain in August. [NEWS1]

A recent surge in violent crimes targeting Korean nationals in Cambodia — including cases of kidnapping and murder — has led to a noticeable decline in demand for travel to Southeast Asia, according to a new public opinion survey.

In a poll conducted Tuesday by pollster Realmeter, 82.4 percent of respondents said the recent crimes in Cambodia have negatively affected their perception of traveling to Southeast Asian countries. The survey included 504 Koreans aged 18 and older nationwide.

The impact was most pronounced among young adults aged 18 to 29, with 88.3 percent in that group saying their travel perception had changed.

When asked what the Korean government’s primary response should be in the wake of such incidents, 34.7 percent cited prioritizing joint investigations with local authorities. This was followed by pursuing strong diplomatic protests and prevention agreements at 27.5 percent, and taking “decisive measures,” including military options, at 25.2 percent.

Asked to evaluate the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' initial response to the crimes, 56 percent said it was inadequate, while 35.9 percent viewed the response positively.

On allegations that previous Korean government-led development aid projects in Cambodia may have involved mismanagement or undue influence, 57 percent of respondents agreed, while 35.9 percent disagreed.

Looking ahead, 52.9 percent of respondents said Korea should maintain economic and development cooperation with Cambodia, but with enhanced oversight and accountability. By contrast, 33 percent called for an immediate suspension of bilateral cooperation.

Regarding the vulnerability of young Koreans to overseas job scams, 38.4 percent cited the lack of quality jobs in Korea as the primary reason. Other responses included wage and labor condition disparities with 18.7 percent, inadequate youth employment policy with 15.7 percent, and lack of information with 15 percent.

The survey was conducted via automated telephone response using random digit dialing (RDD) on mobile phones. It had a response rate of 4.4 percent and a margin of error of ±4.4 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

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]]