More Koreans linked to illegal online activities were arrested in Cambodia. Minister Cho Hyun of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the 20th that "Cambodian police arrested about a dozen Koreans and rescued two Koreans who had reported being held captive."
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, local police in Cambodia carried out a crackdown targeting an online scam ring on Oct. 16, during which about a dozen Koreans were apprehended. The same day, two Koreans who said they were being held captive were also rescued by police, and they are scheduled to return to Korea this week.
The government decided to strengthen its response to online scams and human trafficking spreading in Southeast Asia in the wake of this case. The minister said, "To respond swiftly to such situations, we plan to deploy about 40 additional consular personnel," adding, "We will also implement temporary measures to rotate staff from nearby diplomatic missions, focusing on Cambodia."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also plans to operate an "early warning system" in Southeast Asia, moving away from the previous approach of recognizing situations only after victims reported directly to the embassy, so it can respond preemptively when signs of risk are detected.
The minister said, "The Cambodian government, concerned about a collapse of its tourism industry, is actively cooperating," and added, "We will respond swiftly to similar situations in close coordination with local authorities."