Death of kidnapped South Korean student spurs talks with Cambodia to tackle online scams

In this photo released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP), South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina, left, talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, during a meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (AKP via AP)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Cambodian and South Korean officials agreed Thursday to cooperate in combating online scams, after the death of a South Korean student who was reportedly forced to work in a scam center in Cambodia triggered public outrage in South Korea.

A South Korean delegation led by Vice-Foreign Minister Kim Jina visited the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, for talks with officials, including Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.

During the meeting, Kim urged Cambodia to take stronger action against online scam crimes as Hun Manet expressed regret over the student’s death and promised to make more efforts to defend the safety of South Korean nationals in Cambodia, according to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry.

Hun Manet said on Telegram the two countries “will continue to strengthen our collaboration to prevent, suppress, and combat online scams more effectively.”

A vast transnational industry

Cambodia’s online scam industry uses trafficked workers from various countries to target victims around the world. South Korean officials estimate that about 200,000 people, including some 1,000 South Koreans, are working at online scam sites in Cambodia.

In August the body of 22-year-old student Park Min-ho was discovered in a pickup truck in Cambodia’s southern Kampot province. Authorities said he died following a cardiac arrest after being tortured and beaten. South Korean media reported that Park was lured to travel to Cambodia by a friend, who was later arrested in South Korea.

Kim told reporters that she asked for Cambodia to repatriate South Koreans nationals involved in online scams in the country and return Park’s remains at an early date. South Korean officials earlier said the body’s return was delayed due to disputes over South Korea’s request for an autopsy by pathologists from both countries.

It wasn’t immediately clear how those 1,000 South Koreans have ended up working in online scam sites in Cambodia. South Korean officials believe many were lured with promises of high-paying jobs before being forced to work against their will, but some also went there voluntarily.

In the first eight months of this year alone, there were reports of 330 South Koreans detained in Cambodia, South Korean national security adviser Wi Sung-lac told a briefing Wednesday, citing reports from victims themselves and their relatives. Wi said that 80 per cent of those cases have been resolved.

Wi said 60 South Koreans were recently arrested in Cambodia on suspicion of involvement in online scams. Once repatriated, they would face investigation and possible legal punishments, depending on the degree of their involvement, Wi said.

The Cambodian National Police said in a statement Thursday that authorities were working with the South Korean Embassy in Cambodia to repatriate 59 South Koreans on Friday.

South Korea imposes travel restrictions

On Thursday, a South Korean travel ban came into effect for parts of Cambodia, including Bokor Mountain in Kampot province, where Park Min-ho was found dead, as well as the towns of Bavet and Poipet, on Cambodia’s border with Vietnam and Thailand.

Kim said Hun Manet asked South Korea to ease the travel restrictions, citing worries about the possible negative effect on investments and tourism in Cambodia. Kim said she described the restrictions as “inevitable” but South Korea will ease them if the situation improves.

Wi said earlier Thursday there would be a limit in South Korea to dealing solely with a transnational online scam industry based in a foreign country. But he said South Korea will mobilize “all available methods” to protect the safety and properties of South Koreans and promote coordination with Cambodia, neighbouring countries and international organizations.

Hun Manet said “Cambodia does not need any neighbouring country to carry out such work on its behalf” to address online scam issues and that the two countries can resolve the matter bilaterally without the need for any third-party involvement.

The United Nations and other agencies have estimated that cyberscams, most of them originating from Southeast Asia, earn international criminal gangs billions of dollars annually. The cybercriminals pretend friendship or tout phony investment opportunities to cheat their targets around the world.

Jeremy Douglas, former regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, now current chief of staff for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, said that Southeast Asia -- particularly the Mekong Region’s border areas between Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand -- is “arguably the most significant global hub for scams and illegal online gaming. And the reason is pretty straightforward -- criminals like the conditions, the freedom they have, the ability to make and hide money with little resistance.”

“It is unclear how governments will respond, but the main thing now is pulling together on a regional solution. The situation can’t simply be ignored,” Douglas said.

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By Hyung-jin Kim And Sopheng Cheang

Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea. Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul and Anton L. Delgado in Bangkok contributed to this report.