October 16, 2025
SEOUL – South Korea’s Foreign Ministry has imposed its highest-level travel warning on parts of Cambodia starting Thursday, banning travel to areas where job scam–related confinement and abuse cases have sharply increased.
The Level 4 advisory, which prohibits all travel, takes effect at midnight Wednesday and applies to Bokor Mountain in Kampot Province and the cities of Bavet and Poipet, which were previously under a special travel advisory.
Bokor Mountain is where a South Korean university student — believed to be a victim of a job-scam operation — was found dead in August.
The Foreign Ministry’s drastic measures have come as the Lee Jae Myung administration has doubled down on efforts to take every possible step to address a surge in job scams and associated crimes targeting South Koreans in Cambodia, including kidnapping and confinement.
According to the ministry, Sihanoukville Province has been raised to Level 3, advising South Koreans to leave the area. Existing special travel advisories for other regions remain in effect, while areas previously under Level 1, advising caution, have been upgraded to Level 2, advising travelers to reconsider visiting.
The travel advisory level for Cambodia has been raised for the second time in less than a week, following a similar adjustment on Oct. 10.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac on Wednesday also said that Seoul would try to repatriate about 60 South Koreans detained in Cambodia by the weekend, vowing to take all possible measures to address the matter.
Wi explained that the Lee Jae Myung administration is “prioritizing the swift repatriation of Korean nationals arrested by Cambodian authorities during crackdown operations in July and September.”
Speaking at a press briefing, Wi also admitted that “the key issue is how much progress we can make in reaching an agreement” with Cambodian authorities.
Wi further underscored that “another key priority is to swiftly bring back those whose whereabouts remain unknown and who may be in confinement, through an active and coordinated system with Cambodian authorities.”
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has estimated that more than 1,000 South Koreans are believed to be staying in scam compounds in Cambodia, though their involvement in criminal activities has not been confirmed.
However, Wi concurrently urged restraint, asking “for the cooperation of the media and the public to remain alert to such crimes but to avoid harboring excessive hostility toward Cambodia and its people.”
Wi noted that many Korean residents and businesses in Cambodia — particularly those in the tourism sector — are deeply concerned about potential economic losses and reputational damage.
A high-level interagency response team departed Wednesday for Cambodia to address a surge in fraudulent job offers and related crimes targeting South Koreans, and to expedite the repatriation of Korean detainees and the body of the university student who died there.
The delegation, led by Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina, includes senior officials from the National Police Agency, Justice Ministry and National Intelligence Service. Among them is Park Sung-joo, head of the National Office of Investigation, reflecting the gravity of the government’s response.
Speaking at Incheon Airport before departure, Kim said the delegation will visit the Foreign Ministry, the Interior Ministry and a special committee for countering online scams during their trip to Cambodia.
“We also plan to discuss ways to resolve the current situation in a more concrete and proactive manner through meetings with high-level (Cambodian) officials,” Kim said.
President Lee Jae Myung ordered the emergency mission Tuesday amid growing public concern over a rapid rise in the number of South Koreans being lured by fake job advertisements and falling victim to associated crimes.
Separately, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Wednesday launched a task force led by former Ambassador to Lebanon Park Il to oversee related embassy operations and cooperation with Cambodian authorities on the ground until a new ambassador is appointed. The ambassador post has been vacant since former Ambassador Park Jung-wook left his position in mid-July.
According to data from South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, about 80 cases remain open among reports of Koreans who entered Cambodia and were later reported missing or forcibly confined. The ministry received 330 such reports between January and August 2025 and 220 cases in 2024, most of which — about 260 this year and 210 last year — have since been resolved.
Separate police data shows a total of 143 cases involving suspected abductions, confinement or disappearances of South Koreans in Cambodia reported between 2024 and Oct. 13, 2025. Of these, authorities have verified the safety and whereabouts of 91 individuals, while 52 cases remain under investigation.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
