South Korean police have begun a full-scale investigation into a domestic network linked to the torture and death of a Korean college student in Cambodia, as more reports emerge of similar abduction and confinement cases involving Korean nationals in the country.
The North Gyeongsang Provincial Police said Monday that it is tracing the upper echelons of a local fraud group allegedly linked to a Cambodian crime syndicate. The group operated in a “cell-based” structure, in which each member operated in isolation without knowing others in the chain, to maintain strict secrecy and avoid detection, authorities said.
Investigators are focusing on a man in his 20s, surnamed Hong, who has been indicted for violating the Electronic Financial Transactions Act for recruiting so-called “ghost bank accounts.” Police believe Hong, who is presumably the victim's senior at the same college, introduced the victim, a 22-year-old student surnamed Park, to the overseas scam organization.
Park, who studied at a university in South Chungcheong Province, left for Cambodia on July 17 after telling his family he would attend an exhibition. Three weeks later, he was found dead in a car near Bokor Mountain in Kampot province. Cambodian police said he likely died of cardiac arrest following torture.
Other victims speak up
Meanwhile, multiple cases of Koreans being lured to Cambodia by false job offers have been reported nationwide.
In Ulsan, a man in his 20s who applied for what he believed was a legitimate overseas position was forced to work at a phishing call center for nearly two years before escaping.
According to the Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency, the man applied in August 2023 for a position advertised by a foreign company engaged in development projects.
After submitting his application, he conducted a video interview with someone claiming to be a human resources officer from the company. The recruiter, impressed by his English and Chinese proficiency, offered him a translation position in Cambodia with double his current salary.
Upon arrival, however, the man found himself in a completely different environment: a call center run by a criminal syndicate engaged in phishing scams using fake investment and dating schemes to defraud victims.
He said he sought help from the local police and the South Korean Embassy but received no assistance.
Trapped under surveillance, he was forced to participate in the scam operation and later discovered he had been placed on Interpol’s red notice list. The call center was reportedly operated in a franchise-like system: The core group supplied the facilities, software and infrastructure, while lower-tier operators handled the daily fraud operations and paid a portion of their profits upward.
After nearly 21 months in captivity, the man escaped this May when guards’ monitoring briefly loosened. He hid for about three months before securing enough money to pay local officials and secure his return flight. He was arrested upon arrival in Korea for his involvement in the illegal operation.
Since February, police have identified 83 members of the Cambodian call center network, arresting 54, including 34 senior operators. Interpol red notices have been issued for 28 others believed to be overseas.
On Jeju Island, police are investigating two separate incidents in which young men were allegedly kidnapped and confined by Cambodian criminal groups.
In one case, a man in his 20s returned home on Aug. 10 after his family paid roughly 35 million won ($24,000) worth of cryptocurrency to secure his release.
According to the Jeju Seobu Police, his parents first received a Telegram message on July 9 from an unidentified sender claiming to be holding their son. Two days later, the sender arranged a phone call between the family and the victim, who said he was working “to repay debts after being scammed” and had not been allowed to leave the premises since arriving in Cambodia.
Police believe the man had been detained and coerced by the criminal group. His family confirmed that after paying the ransom, he was freed and returned to Korea. He is now undergoing psychological treatment for trauma, the police confirmed.
In July another man from Jeju reported being kidnapped and beaten after being tricked by promises of high-paying work in Cambodia. He managed to escape in early July with the help of a local Korean resident. Jeju police said the two cases were part of an emerging pattern of recruitment, confinement and extortion targeting young Koreans seeking overseas employment opportunities.
In North Gyeongsang Province, a man in his 30s who left for Cambodia in August contacted his family by video call, demanding 20 million won for his release before communication was cut off.
Police said at least seven missing-person reports have been filed this year in the province involving travel to Cambodia.
Authorities said they are working with Interpol and the Cambodian police to track Korean nationals still held by criminal organizations abroad and to dismantle the cross-border network responsible for the growing number of abduction and torture cases.
jychoi@heraldcorp.com
