President Lee Jae-myung on the 16th ordered officials to consider using the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC)'s emergency review system to remove job advertisements that lure Koreans to Cambodia's "online scam" organizations. In response, judicial authorities will step up monitoring of Cambodia-related online job postings to prevent further harm and plan to conduct a full survey of online scam crimes through 190 overseas missions.
Wi Sung-lac, chief of the Office of National Security, said at a presidential office briefing that afternoon, "President Lee continued to call for an all-out response and ordered a review of overall progress and thorough implementation of measures." He added, "It is necessary to strengthen every stage, from preemptive prevention such as inspecting job sites at home and abroad, to on-site responses such as rescuing victims locally, and to follow-up measures such as identifying those involved and bringing them to justice."
Online scams in Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, are a large-scale industry that transcends borders, with as many as 200,000 workers. The government estimates that about 1,000 Koreans are working in the scam industry. Explaining this situation, Wi said, "We will review, through interagency consultations, international cooperation to recover criminal revenue and impose sanctions." First, through 190 overseas missions, the government will conduct a full survey of related crimes, identify the status of international crime networks, and strengthen judicial cooperation with the United States and others.
Wi said, "It is difficult to eradicate organized phishing crimes with diplomatic efforts alone, such as rescuing and protecting victims overseas; efforts at a socio-structural level are required." He said that, on the occasion of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit to be held for two days starting on the 26th, the government will establish a joint investigation cooperation system with ASEAN law enforcement authorities. In addition, the government will strengthen cooperation with the U.N. General Assembly and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and will actively discuss governance among advanced countries and policy coordination to trace illicit funds.