South Korea issued a “code-black” travel ban on parts of Cambodia on Wednesday in the wake of the death of a college student in August.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry said the ban included the Bokor mountain area, Bawet city and Poipet city in Kampot province.
“South Korean citizens visiting or staying in those areas may be subject to fines under the Passport Act and other relevant regulations. Citizens planning to travel to such areas are therefore strongly advised to cancel their trips.”
The case highlighted the growing problem of fake job offers potentially leading to the kidnapping of hundreds of South Korean citizens.
South Korea is now sending a special team of investigators to Cambodia to talk to authorities there about the situation related to the student, but also, in particular, regarding the Internet scam.
Up to 1,000 South Koreans are believed to be operating in scammers’ complexes
“About 200,000 people of various nationalities are believed to be working in Cambodia’s scam industry, which targets victims around the world, including South Korea,” national security adviser Wai Sung-lak told reporters on Wednesday.
“It is believed that a large number of South Koreans are also employed there. Although the exact figure is difficult to verify, domestic officials estimate the number to be generally around 1,000.”
Although Seoul initially reported that 330 South Koreans were missing in Cambodia, it later revised that number to 80.
South Korea believes 63 of those 80 are now in Cambodian custody as authorities there have made arrests in connection with the scam centers.
Seoul says it is “committed to repatriating all South Korean citizens.”
“We are arranging a flight to bring them home… We aim to complete it by the end of the week,” National Security Adviser Wai said.
Wai said that among the 63 detained were both “voluntary and involuntary” participants.
He said, “Most of them should be considered to have committed criminal acts for participating in the schemes”, regardless of their initial intentions.
Country shocked by beating of South Korean student in Cambodia
South Korean officials tasked with discussing the complexities of the scandal and the return of missing citizens will be accompanied by intelligence and police representatives who will investigate the recent death of a South Korean college student.
The preliminary investigation and autopsy performed on the student’s body, which was found in the bed of a pick-up truck on August 8, concluded that he had died “as a result of severe torture, with multiple lacerations and injuries on his body.”
On August 11, three Chinese nationals were charged with the student’s murder as well as online fraud. All three are in pre-trial detention in Cambodia.
Seoul says many of those who arrive at scam centers are lured by false promises of high-paying jobs.
However, more than 50 scam complexes operating in Cambodia are organized by criminal groups involved in kidnapping, human trafficking, forced labour, slavery, deprivation of liberty and torture.
Rights group Amnesty International says the centers are being operated “on a large scale”.
This step of Seoul has come at a time when America, Britain have taken strict action against scammers.
Late Tuesday, US authorities announced they had seized nearly $15 billion (€17.4 billion) in Bitcoin and accused UK-Cambodian businessman Chen Zee of running scam centers that exploited forced labor to carry out cryptocurrency fraud schemes that netted billions of dollars.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) called it “the largest seizure action” in DOJ history.
The DOJ indictment against Chen states that workers engaged in the practice of “pig slaughtering” – that is, slowly gaining the trust of investors before stealing their money – making billions under the threat of violence in prison-like conditions.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “Today’s action represents one of the most significant strikes yet against the global scourge of human trafficking and cyber-enabled financial fraud.”
On Tuesday, as the US and Britain announced asset freezes and sanctions against Chen’s Prince Holding Co, the US Treasury Department labeled the company an international criminal organization.
Chen remains free and faces up to 40 years in prison if tried and found guilty.
The Treasury Department reported a 66% increase in the amount of money lost by American citizens and businesses to such scams last year, to more than $10 billion.
Most scam centers operate from Cambodia and Myanmar, which are primarily operated by Chinese criminal organizations.
Despite an attempted crackdown, new militarized call centers are spreading rapidly in Myanmar, where they are using Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites to gain internet access, AFP reported on Tuesday.
Edited by: Wesley Rahn