At the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's Oct. 13 audit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, lawmakers from both parties criticized in unison the government's slow response to the recent kidnapping and confinement of Koreans in Cambodia. The People Power Party pointed to vacancies in key envoy posts and an abdication of responsibility by the government, while the Democratic Party of Korea questioned deficiencies across the entire system for protecting nationals overseas.
Kim Ki-hyun of the People Power Party pressed Minister Cho Hyun of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the committee audit, saying, "A young person from Korea met an unfortunate death in Cambodia, yet the body has been unable to return home for more than two months," and added, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs bears very significant responsibility for this situation."
Kim said, "The number of kidnapping cases involving Koreans in Cambodia was tallied at about 10 to 20 annually in 2022–2023, but this year (as of August) it is 330, a surge of a staggering 3,000%," criticizing that "the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seems to be watching a fire across the river."
Kim in particular flagged the vacancies in envoy appointments. He said, "Of the 171 overseas missions run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are 26 ambassador posts vacant and 17 consul general posts vacant, for a total of 43 vacancies," adding, "After the Lee Jae-myung administration launched, it instructed key envoys to prepare to step down, leaving major ambassadorships vacant." He continued, "It was while the (Cambodia ambassadorship) was vacant that the kidnapping and murder of a college student occurred," and criticized, "The (delay in appointing envoys) can only be seen as analyzing political leanings and conducting ideological vetting to install one's own side in those positions."
In response, the Minister said, "I am sorry to the public that a heartbreaking incident occurred in Cambodia," adding, "We are working to resolve it as quickly as possible. The vacancy issue has multiple complex factors."
The ruling Democratic Party also criticized the government's poor response to the Cambodia situation. Yun Hu-duk of the Democratic Party said, "Three hundred of our nationals have been kidnapped overseas and are out of contact, yet there is no ambassador. What is the Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs doing?" raising his voice to say, "This is something that should not happen."
Yun said, "The presidential office says it is reviewing measures (regarding harm to Koreans in Cambodia), but what are the extraordinary measures? Shouldn't we even send Air Force Unit 1?"
The Minister said, "There is a practical problem in that some people are not cooperating," adding, "It is difficult to speak about this publicly." Yun urged, "The presidential office is said to be creating a TF today. Please participate together and press hard from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well."
Lee Yong-seon of the same party also said, "In Cambodia, reports of kidnapping and confinement have surged 10 to 15 times over last year and this year, and compared to the Philippines, they are 40 to 50 times higher."
Citing a report by the international human rights group Amnesty, he said, "Chinese criminal organizations moved to areas where operations are relatively easier, and Cambodia appears to have been a prime example," adding, "Serious crimes such as voice phishing and organ harvesting are occurring in succession, but there are no evident actions or responses from the relevant embassy or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
Lee went on, "The former ambassador to Cambodia was controversial even at the time of appointment, and after taking office, ODA (official development assistance) and the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) surged," pointedly asking, "Did the embassy focus on these areas and stand by when it came to public safety and law and order?" He also pointed out that the Cambodian Embassy has only one police liaison officer and one consul in charge of overseas safety assigned, respectively.
The Minister replied, "We will handle the necessary measures swiftly."
The current kidnapping situation in Cambodia came to light when, on Jul. 4th, a college student, a person surnamed Park, departed for Cambodia and was found dead locally in August. Since then, similar reports of harm have followed, prompting a joint response by the police and foreign affairs authorities.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working to strengthen cooperation with the Cambodian government, and the presidential office has also signaled the formation of a separate task force (TF). The Democratic Party is also set to establish an "overseas job scam countermeasures special committee" within the party to pursue related legislation and institutional improvements.