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President Lee orders 'eradication' of international crime rings that target Koreans

Published: 24 Oct. 2025, 18:23

President Lee Jae Myung presides over a senior aides' meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul on Oct. 13. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Lee Jae Myung ordered a sweeping crackdown on the recent spate of crimes targeting Korean nationals in Southeast Asia, saying the government must “eradicate these crimes at the root.”

“We must show international criminal organizations that they will be ruined if they harass or drag Koreans into crime,” Lee said during a meeting on Thursday focused on eradicating transnational crimes that infringe on public safety.

“If international crime organizations lay a hand on Koreans or try to involve them in their schemes, we must show them that doing so will ruin them,” Lee said. “We have to make sure they never come near Korea again.”

The emergency meeting was convened in response to growing public concern following a recent case involving the abduction and assault of a Korean citizen in Cambodia. Senior officials from the Foreign Ministry, Justice Ministry, National Intelligence Service (NIS), National Police Agency and Financial Services Commission (FSC) were in attendance.

Lee pledged full support for a newly formed “special response headquarters for transnational crime,” which is being tasked with coordinating interagency action.

Each agency presented concrete response measures. The Foreign Ministry said it would strengthen victim support and information-sharing through diplomatic missions. The Justice Ministry pledged to streamline the extradition of international criminals.

The NIS vowed to step up intelligence collection on overseas criminal organizations. The police committed to working with Interpol to track groups across borders. The FSC proposed measures to block the use of illegal bank accounts in criminal operations.

Forensic officials from Korea’s National Forensic Service, Korean police investigators and local Cambodian authorities observe the cremation of Park, a Korean college student who was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by a criminal syndicate in Cambodia, at a public crematorium in Phnom Penh’s Tuol Kork District on Oct. 20. [YONHAP]

Illegal scams, drug trafficking and gambling targeting Koreans have been spreading beyond Cambodia into neighboring countries. There is also evidence that some Chinese crime syndicates are relocating to Myanmar. Officials raised concerns about the so-called “balloon effect,” in which crime simply shifts to other regions following localized crackdowns.

Lee’s remarks reflect the government’s intent to establish a systematic, all-hands-on-deck approach to transnational crime.

“The president’s commitment is firm,” said an official from the presidential office. “He also ordered the establishment of measures to track and recover criminal proceeds.”

Lee is expected to formally raise the issue at the upcoming Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Monday, and will call for multinational cooperation in tackling the crimes.

“Scam operations often involve perpetrators of multiple nationalities and span across borders,” National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac said. “Bilateral talks are not enough. President Lee will likely urge multilateral coordination at the Asean summit.”

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 JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]