Korea, Cambodia to launch joint task force to combat scams targeting Koreans

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet agreed on Monday to launch a joint task force between the two countries’ law enforcement agencies to tackle the rise of transnational scams.

According to the presidential office, the two leaders met Monday in Malaysia on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit, where they finalized plans to launch a task force in November to tackle crimes targeting Koreans in Southeast Asia.

“The task force will serve as a coordinated investigative and enforcement body between (Korea and Cambodia's) law enforcement agencies,” said presidential office spokesperson Kang Yu-jung during Monday’s press briefing.

While details on the size and structure of Korea’s police deployment to the task force and the task force’s operational plan are still being finalized, the joint force aims to crack down on illegal detention, online fraud and other organized crime that frequently targets Korean nationals in Cambodia.

The announcement regarding the task force comes after Korea’s continued efforts to establish a team under the Cambodian police dedicated to investigating such crimes, similar to the Korean Desks that currently operate in the Philippines and Thailand.

Prime Minister Hun said Cambodia had already made significant improvements to its domestic security through heightened crackdowns on scam compounds and welcomed deeper cooperation with Korean authorities.

In response, Lee said that he would consider downgrading travel advisories for areas such as Phnom Penh, should continued improvements in local safety be confirmed through the joint task force’s work.

On Oct. 15, the Korean government imposed travel bans on parts of Cambodia after several cases emerged of Koreans being kidnapped and tortured in the country’s scam compounds, including that of a Korean university student allegedly abducted and killed by a criminal organization.

During the ASEAN summit, Lee also said that the Korean government would step up cooperation efforts with ASEAN member states to combat transnational crimes and prevent young people from falling victim to organized criminal networks in Southeast Asia.

Lee added that the Korean National Police Agency will work closely with ASEANAPOL, or the police cooperation body of ASEAN, “to dismantle the organized criminal networks” and “ensure transnational crimes do not take root in the region.”

“(South Korea) will also seek to address (transnational crimes) through close criminal and judicial cooperation with individual ASEAN member states and within the ASEAN framework as a whole,” Lee said.