President Lee Jae Myung held a summit with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet in Malaysia on Monday to discuss bilateral ties and joint responses to online scam crimes, following the death of a Korean college student that fueled public outrage in South Korea.
During their meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Kuala Lumpur, Manet offered condolences over the death of the Korean student who was lured to work in a scam center in Cambodia, calling the death "an unfortunate incident."
Manet said Cambodian authorities acted swiftly to crack down on the scam centers and arrested perpetrators, pledging closer cooperation to tackle cross-border crimes, including drug and human trafficking.
"This is not an issue for a single country. It is a regional issue," Manet said, underscoring the need for multilateral efforts to address rising transnational crimes in Southeast Asia.
Lee noted that South Koreans are currently "highly sensitive" to scam-related crimes following recent incidents and expressed gratitude for Cambodia's special attention to the safety of Korean nationals.
The remains of the South Korean university student, who was allegedly tortured to death by a criminal organization in Cambodia, returned home last week, more than two months after he was found dead.
The case prompted the Korean government to dispatch a delegation to Cambodia earlier this month to address the widening crime problem and impose travel restrictions on some parts of the country where Koreans have been detained.
The two leaders also discussed ways to elevate bilateral ties. Lee pledged continued contributions to Cambodia's development and said he hopes to boost reciprocal visits and high-level communication.
Manet said South Korea is a major investor and key tourism source for Cambodia, expressing hope to expand cooperation in security and defense. (Yonhap)
