Student's alleged torture death by Cambodia scammers sparks turmoil in S. Korea
a day ago
- #human trafficking
- #South Korea-Cambodia relations
- #online fraud
- South Korean president Lee Jae Myung calls for diplomatic efforts to protect citizens in Cambodia after a student was allegedly tortured to death by a scam ring.
- Victims are lured with high-paying job promises, confined, and forced into online fraud; refusal leads to beatings and electric shocks.
- The body of 22-year-old Park Min-ho remains in Cambodia; three Chinese nationals charged with murder and online fraud.
- Park's family received a ransom call before contact ceased; his body was later found near Bokor Mountain, showing signs of severe torture.
- South Korea seeks to send police to Cambodia to establish a 'Korean desk' for direct cooperation with Cambodian police.
- Kidnappings of South Koreans in Cambodia surged from 17 in 2023 to 220 in 2024, with 330 cases recorded by August this year.
- South Korea raises travel warnings for Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, and Bokor Mountain, urging citizens to avoid non-essential travel.
- Amnesty International accuses Cambodia of enabling scam operations through inaction, identifying 53 large-scale scam compounds.