Kidnappings, unlawful detentions of Koreans in Cambodia reach 513 cases this year
Published: 27 Oct. 2025, 15:56
Updated: 27 Oct. 2025, 19:35
![Park Seong-ju, commissioner of the National Office of Investigation, briefs reporters after inspecting the Taiza compound in Cambodia, known as a hub for online scam operations, on Oct. 16. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/27/9117f953-d37e-4fa9-9f7c-885c75fa0260.jpg)
Park Seong-ju, commissioner of the National Office of Investigation, briefs reporters after inspecting the Taiza compound in Cambodia, known as a hub for online scam operations, on Oct. 16. [NEWS1]
Reports of suspected kidnappings and unlawful detentions of Koreans in Cambodia have reached 513 cases so far this year, according to data from the police and the Foreign Ministry. Of these, 162 individuals remain unaccounted for.
Park Seong-ju, commissioner of the National Office of Investigation, said at a regular briefing on Monday that from January to Thursday, a total of 513 reports have been filed. A total of 218 of them involve individuals who have not yet returned to Korea.
Among them, the safety of 162 has not been confirmed. Park added that the police are working closely with the Foreign Ministry to locate those whose safety remains unverified.
Police have been running a special voluntary surrender and reporting period for overseas kidnapping, unlawful detention and missing-person cases since Oct. 16. During this time, 34 cases have been reported from countries neighboring Cambodia, including Thailand with 11 cases, Vietnam with eight, the Philippines with seven, Malaysia, Laos and Myanmar with two each, and China and India with one each.
Park said authorities are also monitoring for a balloon effect, in which crime bases move to nearby countries. Police are set to join a transnational joint operation on Nov. 11, as part of an international cooperation framework involving Korea, Cambodia, the United States and other Asia-Pacific countries.
This is not a field crackdown or raid, Park said. It will be an operational meeting to share information on suspect lists, identities and whereabouts, and to establish detailed plans for victim protection, suspect apprehension and asset freezes and recoveries.
![A view of a fenced area on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Oct. 16. [LEE YOUNG-KEUN]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/27/bd0adfd5-aa42-4587-8f4b-323b2418a53a.jpg)
A view of a fenced area on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Oct. 16. [LEE YOUNG-KEUN]
Cambodian officials have said they welcome the Korean police’s participation in on-site forensic and initial investigative work, Park added. Depending on further discussions with local authorities, additional personnel may also be dispatched.
Regarding the case of a Korean man in his 20s surnamed Park who was found dead in a Cambodian crime compound, Park said police are working with local authorities to verify the National Intelligence Service’s finding that the suspect in the case was an accomplice of the ringleader in the 2023 Gangnam private academy drug scandal.
Cambodian authorities are conducting their own investigation into the suspects but have not yet shared further details with the Korean police. Of the 64 individuals repatriated on Oct. 18, police plan to refer 59 of them, who are already detained, to the prosecution this week.
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 KIM JEONG-JAE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)