Seoul: In a major development highlighting the deepening regional battle against cybercrime, 64 South Korean nationals were repatriated from Cambodia this week following allegations of their involvement in large-scale online scam operations. The coordinated effort marks a significant moment in Seoul’s escalating campaign to dismantle overseas fraud networks that have ensnared thousands of its citizens.
The group arrived at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport under heavy security, with several individuals appearing in police custody. Immigration officials confirmed that the returnees were being questioned over their suspected roles in transnational scam centres operating from Cambodian territory. Authorities refrained from disclosing detailed charges but confirmed that legal proceedings and interrogations are already underway.
The repatriation follows months of high-level cooperation between South Korean and Cambodian law enforcement agencies, aimed at uprooting criminal groups exploiting vulnerable jobseekers. These networks reportedly operate from heavily guarded compounds, often coercing individuals into participating in cyber fraud or voice-phishing activities targeting people in other countries.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry stated that the incident underscores the country’s commitment to protecting its citizens from transnational crimes. In response to the growing number of South Koreans trapped or coerced into scams abroad, the government has designated parts of Cambodia as “code-black travel zones”, strongly advising against travel to these regions.
President Lee Jae-myung has ordered a nationwide crackdown on fake overseas job postings, particularly those advertising lucrative opportunities in Southeast Asia. Many of these online ads, authorities said, are fronts for human trafficking rings or scam syndicates operating from Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.
Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina, who was present at Incheon Airport to oversee the return, thanked Cambodian authorities for their cooperation. “This repatriation is a testament to our joint commitment to combating cross-border fraud. We will continue to strengthen our system to protect citizens from deceitful employment offers and criminal exploitation abroad,” she said.
According to National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, as many as 1,000 South Koreans may still be trapped in Cambodia’s scam networks part of a much larger web of operations involving more than 200,000 foreign nationals across Southeast Asia. Many victims, initially lured with job offers, later report being held captive and forced to carry out fraudulent online activities such as cryptocurrency scams and phishing calls.
The United Nations and regional watchdogs estimate that such scam centres have generated billions of dollars in illegal profits, exploiting both economic vulnerabilities and weak enforcement in post-pandemic Southeast Asia. Cambodia has been identified as a key hub in this illicit industry, though similar networks also thrive in Myanmar, Laos, and the Philippines.
Public outrage in South Korea intensified in August following the murder of a South Korean university student in Cambodia, who had reportedly been lured into a fraudulent employment scheme. The case, involving allegations of torture, ignited nationwide anger and prompted Seoul to accelerate repatriation efforts and tighten scrutiny of overseas job agencies.
The latest operation symbolizes an emerging era of closer law enforcement collaboration between Seoul and Phnom Penh. South Korean investigators are expected to pursue criminal charges against those directly involved in scams, while Cambodia continues to shut down compounds and arrest operators linked to transnational fraud.
As global authorities tighten the net around cyber syndicates, the repatriation of these South Koreans underscores a grim reality the intersection of digital deception, human trafficking, and economic exploitation. It also serves as a warning to jobseekers lured by online offers that promise easy money but conceal a dangerous web of criminality and coercion.