Wi Sung-lac, head of the Office of National Security, said he will conduct a full survey of 190 diplomatic missions around the world in connection with the recent surge in employment scams targeting Koreans and cases of abduction and confinement in countries including Cambodia. He also said the government will review international cooperation measures to recover criminal revenue.
Deputy Minister Wi held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office this afternoon and said, "The Southeast Asian online scam business is not a deviation by a few individuals but a massive transnational crime type," adding, "We plan to conduct a full survey of 190 diplomatic missions worldwide—not only in Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Thailand—to determine whether similar cases that could harm nationals staying overseas are likely to occur."
Deputy Minister Wi said regarding this situation, "The president again called for an all-out response today and ordered that overall progress be reviewed and that thorough measures be taken."
He also stressed international cooperation to eradicate related crimes. Deputy Minister Wi emphasized, "To effectively stamp out such crimes, international cooperation is essential not only with Cambodia, which is currently in the spotlight, but also with neighboring countries, relevant major nations, and international organizations."
He added, "It is true there are limits, such as the need to respect each country's judicial sovereignty, and this is not something our efforts alone can solve, but if such transnational crimes threaten the lives, safety, and property of our nationals, it is only natural for our government to mobilize every possible means and make all-around efforts."
Deputy Minister Wi continued, "Between Korea and the United States as well, we will strengthen diplomatic and judicial cooperation to understand the status of international crime networks and make greater efforts to eradicate harm to our nationals," adding, "We will also actively review, through consultations with relevant ministries, international cooperation measures to recover revenue generated through these crimes and impose sanctions."
He added, "In particular, at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) level—the location where the scam industry has surged—we will use the summit set for the 26th as an opportunity to build a cooperation framework, including joint investigations with ASEAN law enforcement authorities."
Deputy Minister Wi stressed that a pan-government response is needed to tackle organized phishing crimes. He said, "Such organized phishing crimes are difficult to eradicate through diplomatic responses alone, such as rescuing and protecting victims overseas," adding, "There must be efforts at a social and structural level to fundamentally eradicate the spread of transnational phishing crimes."
He then emphasized strengthening efforts at every stage and responding at the pan-government level, including ▲ preemptive prevention such as inspecting domestic and overseas job sites ▲ on-site responses such as rescuing victims locally ▲ identifying those involved and taking judicial action.
Deputy Minister Wi added, "Even this morning, the president ordered that the emergency review system of the Korea Communications Standards Commission be used to swiftly take down ads that continue to lure people to Cambodia."
In response to some claims that the government was indifferent to the safety of overseas Koreans, he countered, "Even before the Cambodia employment scams and confinement cases were treated as big news, the president gave multiple instructions to prepare related countermeasures and paid special attention to this case." He then said there were more than four related reports and presidential instructions from late July to early this month.