A Korean college student who visited Cambodia during summer vacation was found dead.
According to police and the bereaved family on the 9th, a college student, A (22), from Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang, arrived in Cambodia on Jul. 17 to attend an expo.
A week later, A's family received a call on A's cellphone from a man speaking with a Chinese Korean accent. The man threatened, saying, "A caused trouble here and has been detained. If you send 50 million won, I will release A."
A's family notified the Cambodian Embassy and the police. Police said, "Do not send the money," and the embassy said, "Report it to the local Cambodian police by sending the location and photos." However, the family could not find out where A was being held, and contact with the extortionist was cut off after four days.
Two weeks later, on Aug. 8, A was found dead locally. A was reportedly held near the Bokor Mountain criminal compound in Kampot Province, Cambodia. According to the embassy and local police, A's cause of death was "cardiac arrest due to torture and extreme pain."
Even after the death was confirmed, A's body was reportedly left unattended for two months without being brought back to Korea. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others, considering the autopsy and local cremation schedule, A's body is expected to return to Korea this month.
Meanwhile, the number of reported kidnappings of Koreans in Cambodia surged from 10 to 20 per year in 2022–2023 to 220 last year and 330 through August this year.