October 21, 2025
SEOUL – South Korean authorities on Monday expanded their investigation into suspected scammers as well as the Cambodian branches of South Korean banks linked to the Cambodian conglomerate Prince Group, and the death of a Korean man believed to have been detained and tortured.
According to the Korean National Police Agency on Monday, 59 of the 64 suspects that were recently detained upon their entry into Korea were referred for arrest warrants. One suspect among the 64 had already been issued a warrant and was taken into custody immediately upon arrival, while four were released without warrant requests.
Of the 59 forwarded to prosecutors, one was not indicted for detention and was released, bringing the total number of released individuals to five.
Courts across the country began holding detention warrant hearings on Monday. The highest number of arrest warrant requests was filed by the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency in South Chungcheong Province, as arrest warrant requests were filed for all 45 individuals referred to the police.
Additionally, Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency had warrants requested for 11 out of its 15 suspects, while Daejeon and Gimpo police each filed detention requests for a single suspect. Police authorities in Wonju, Gangwon Province, and Seodaemun-gu in western Seoul chose not to pursue warrants for their respective suspects as of now.
Authorities say most of the suspects were involved in a variety of fraudulent acts operated from criminal compounds in Cambodia, including romance scams, investment fraud and voice phishing.
During police questioning, a few suspects reportedly told investigators that they had been forcibly detained and assaulted by members of scam networks operating in Cambodia. Police are currently verifying such claims, adding that many of the suspects appear to have played a dual role in the situation — both as victims and perpetrators.
Police also conducted initial drug tests with the suspects. Though more screenings are underway, the authorities said all tests returned negative results.
Later in the day, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said that Cambodian police arrested 10 South Koreans suspected of involvement in online scam operations during an on-site crackdown on Oct. 16. Two other Koreans who had been held captive were also rescued separately by Cambodian police on the same day and are expected to return to South Korea later this week.
As authorities pursue criminal charges against the repatriated suspects, government agencies are also looking to recover illicit proceeds earned by Cambodian-based criminal groups.
According to the Ministry of Justice, discussions are underway with Cambodian authorities to establish a legal pathway for returning crime-related proceeds to Korea, aiming to track and repatriate the funds that Cambodian scam operations extracted from Korean victims.
Under the proposed arrangement, the Korean government would provide Cambodia with specific information identifying victims and amounts of financial damage incurred, while Cambodian authorities would conduct their own investigations and facilitate asset recoveries and return of proceeds to Korea.
One of the key targets of such efforts may be Prince Group, a Cambodian conglomerate suspected of backing scam compounds that trafficked and exploited money from foreign nationals, including Koreans.
According to recent findings submitted to Rep. Kang Min-kuk of the People Power Party from the Financial Supervisory Service, five Cambodian branches of South Korean banks, including KB Kookmin Bank, JB Bank, Woori Bank, Shinhan Bank and IM Bank, were found to have carried out 52 transactions with the Cambodian conglomerate, totaling approximately 197 billion won ($138.6 million).
Additionally, acting commissioner Yoo Jae-seong of the KNPA met with the deputy commissioner general of the Cambodian National Police on Monday afternoon, where rising concerns over Cambodia-based scam networks and possible methods of police cooperation were discussed.
The meeting also sought to establish a Korean Desk in Cambodia, referring to Korean police officers stationed within a foreign law enforcement agency in the country to handle crimes involving Korean nationals. The first Korean Desk was set up in the Philippines in 2012, followed by another in Thailand.
After the meeting concluded, both the KNPA and Cambodian National Police agreed to set up a 24-hour hotline for victims to use in the future when communicating with authorities and to also ramp up crackdowns on scams targeting Korean victims.
Earlier Monday morning, law enforcement authorities from the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency, as well as the National Forensic Service, conducted a joint autopsy on the deceased Korean national in Cambodia with Cambodian authorities.
While no signs of organ removal or mutilation were discovered during the autopsy, authorities told press that the exact cause of death has yet to be determined and will be confirmed after further pathology tests, a toxicology analysis and a review of investigation findings from both South Korea and Cambodia.
Following the autopsy, the two sides were expected to discuss procedures for cremation and the repatriation of the remains.
On Monday, the Foreign Ministry also added that it is working to improve its system to ensure that consular assistance is available even outside regular working hours at the South Korean Embassy in Cambodia. The announcement came in response after local media reported that a Korean national who had escaped from a Cambodian scam compound was unable to receive timely help after arriving at the embassy in Phnom Penh early in the morning.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho said in a separate briefing that the ministry in Seoul will “hire around 40 working-level officials this time, with plans to significantly increase staffing in Southeast Asia, including Cambodia.”
Regarding the issue, a high-ranking Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, underscored that “we need to expand (consular staff) and restructure our organization” as a key means to improve the consular system.
The official further explained that the number of consular officers at the Foreign Ministry has decreased following the establishment of the Overseas Koreans Agency in June 2023 under the Yoon administration.
The reorganization at that time split staff at the now-defunct Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Bureau within the Foreign Ministry into the Overseas Koreans Agency and the current Consular Affairs and Safety Bureau.
As a result, the launch of the agency has effectively reduced the number of divisions handling the protection of South Koreans abroad from two to one and halved the number of consular staff within the Foreign Ministry.
Apart from the long-term plan, the Foreign Ministry plans to temporarily dispatch personnel from other foreign missions to Cambodia this week to carry out consular duties on the ground until the situation stabilizes in Cambodia.
According to data obtained by Rep. Park Chan-dae of the Democratic Party of Korea, around 3,000 Koreans have not returned to Korea after departing for Cambodia since 2022.
As of August 2025, an estimated 864 individuals had yet to return from the Southeast Asian country, while up to 3,248 individuals failed to return to Korea after departing for Cambodia in 2024. Such numbers were an increase since 2022, when 3,209 Koreans had not returned from the country.
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com
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