South Korea has been rocked by the brutal death of a young university student who was allegedly tortured to death in Cambodia after being lured by a fake job fair. The case has intensified fears of a wave of kidnappings, illegal detentions and scam operations against Korean citizens in Southeast Asia.
Second The Times of Koreathe victim, identified only as “A,” had traveled to Cambodia to attend what appeared to be a legitimate job fair. He was later found dead in a criminal compound known as “Wench”, reportedly after being beaten to the point of suffocation.
A victim rescued at the same site said A was “beaten so badly that he could neither walk nor breathe, dying on the journey to hospital”.
The tragedy required an urgent response from the government. President Lee Jae Myung ordered all ministries to take immediate action, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Expanded travel advisories for several Cambodian regions. THE Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) also announced plans to establish a “Korean Desk” in Cambodia, a joint police unit to handle crimes involving Korean citizens.
Strong increase in cases of kidnapping and fraud
Legislator data Prinon is there. of the Democratic Party reveals a shocking increase in such cases, from just 1 case in 2022 to 220 in 2024, and 330 cases reported as of August 2025.
In early October, two more victims, identified as C and D, were rescued after being detained for 160 days in a hotel in Sihanoukville. They were initially promised IT jobs paying 8-15 million won ($5,800-10,900) a month, but were instead forced to participate in phone scam operations. When they refused, they were tortured with electric shocks, beaten with metal pipes and threatened with death.
Because Cambodia has become a new crime center
Experts note that criminal groups previously operating in the Golden Triangle (the border region between Laos, Myanmar and Thailand) have moved operations to Cambodia after South Korea blacklisted the Golden Triangle for travel in 2023.
Since then, cities such as Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and Kampot have emerged as centers of large-scale telephone scams, romance scams and illegal gambling. These transnational networks often target victims from South Korea, China and Japan, making it difficult for authorities to pinpoint specific crime zones.
Even when the whereabouts of victims are reported, investigations face obstacles due to frequent syndicate relocations and alleged collusion between local agents and criminal networks.
The government’s next steps
THE WHY provides for bilateral talks with the Cambodian authorities at International Conference of Police Chiefs in Seoul (20-23 October) to finalize the constitution of Korean desk. South Korea will send police investigators and forensic experts to Cambodia this month to conduct autopsies and assist in the repatriation of the victim’s body.
THE Interpol AND ASEANAPOL They are also expected to join a new multinational task force to combat cross-border crime.
Professor Lee Yoon Ho from Dongguk University Police Administration Department underlined the need for long-term cooperation:
“Just as the European Union created Europol through multilateral coordination, South Korea must develop a robust international mechanism to ensure sustainable collaboration in fighting transnational crimes,” he said.
The incident not only highlighted the grim reality of cybercrime and human trafficking networks in Cambodia, but also underlined the urgency of stronger diplomatic and law enforcement cooperation to protect Korean citizens abroad.
Sources: Znews
