On the 13th, when a kidnapping and confinement case targeting Koreans in Cambodia became a public issue, reports of kidnappings and disappearances in Cambodia were widely reported nationwide.
Earlier, a college student A (22) from Sangju, North Gyeongsang, was found dead two weeks after departing for Cambodia in August. A was reportedly confined by a local crime ring, tortured, and died after being unable to endure the pain. The North Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency's mobile investigation unit said that it indicted without detention A's senior in college, a person surnamed Hong, who lured A and enticed A to Cambodia, on charges of violating the Electronic Financial Transactions Act.
The North Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency said it is verifying the facts after receiving a report that B, a man in his 30s from Sangju, North Gyeongsang, who departed for Cambodia, was kidnapped by an overseas crime ring. B left for Cambodia on 19th and then lost contact, and on the 24th, five days later, he told his family via a Telegram video call, "If you send 20 million won, I can be released," after which contact was cut off again. B's family is also said to have received multiple threatening text messages from numbers that could not be identified.
◇Went to Cambodia via Vietnam and Thailand, then lost contact
In Daejeon, police launched an investigation after a man in his 20s who left for Vietnam entered Cambodia and then lost contact. The Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency said it received a missing-person report from the younger sibling saying, "My older brother C, who left for Southeast Asia, seems to be in Cambodia, but he has been out of contact for months," and began verifying the identity.
According to police, C, in his 20s, reportedly left messages on social media (SNS) such as "I'm going to Vietnam to brainstorm a business," "I moved from Vietnam to Cambodia," and "I think I will do a telemarketing business in Cambodia." Through immigration records, police confirmed that C left for Vietnam in February and are tracking C's whereabouts.
In Eumseong, North Chungcheong, the parents of D, a man in his 20s, reported on the 9th, "It seems our son is being confined in Cambodia. He told us not to report to the police." In a police interview, D's parents said, "Our son, who traveled to Cambodia with two male acquaintances of the same age, contacted us via KakaoTalk saying he is under surveillance inside a building in Phnom Penh," adding, "He said their bankbooks are being used for money laundering, and if the accounts are frozen their safety could be at risk, so he asked us to keep the accounts safe." A police investigation confirmed that D left for Cambodia on Aug. 6. The exact identities and whereabouts of the two companions have not yet been confirmed.
Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju also said it received a missing-person report from a family in August stating that E, a 20-year-old man, could not be reached. Through immigration records, police confirmed that E left for Thailand two months ago and are tracking his whereabouts. In particular, as an unknown number called family members and, after saying "Please save me," the call was cut off, police are concerned about possible involvement in a crime.
◇When calling the embassy in Cambodia: "It is principle that the person concerned files the report"
The Dalseo Police Station in Daegu said that the father of F, a man in his 30s, filed a missing-person report with police on the 12th, saying, "I cannot reach my son, who left for Cambodia." After arriving in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in September, F sent a final message saying, "I am working with Chinese people and will contact you again," and then lost contact with his family. On the same day, F's father notified the Embassy of Korea in Cambodia of his son's disappearance but is said to have received the answer, "It is principle that the person concerned informs their location and files the report."
In Wonju, Gangwon Province, a missing-person report came in in June from the family of G, in the late 20s, saying, "We cannot reach our older brother who went to Cambodia to make money." G left for Cambodia alone from Incheon International Airport at about 7 p.m. on Jun. 8 and then lost contact after a final call with family the next day. Three months later, on the 17th of last month, the family received word through an acquaintance of G that there were no issues with G's safety, but for about a month since then, contact has again been lost to the present. The G family also reportedly informed police to the effect that "we received a call from an unidentified person saying we need to freeze our brother's account."
In Jeju, police are investigating a case in which a young person in their 20s was confined by a local crime ring and then released after paying virtual currency worth tens of millions of won. According to the Jeju Western Police Station, H went to Busan to obtain a loan and then left for Cambodia in June. After making sporadic contact through an unidentified person, H suddenly returned in August. H's parents told police, "We were asked to pay virtual currency worth 35 million won as H's ransom, and after paying, H was released." H is said to be receiving treatment after suffering psychological trauma.
In Incheon, a man in his 30s who lent his bankbook to a crime ring in Cambodia and then entered Korea after the transaction was suspended was caught when he visited a bank and was handed over to prosecutors. The Incheon Gyeyang Police Station said it referred I, a man in his 30s booked without detention on charges of violating the Electronic Financial Transactions Act, to the prosecution. I is believed to have gone to Cambodia to make money, become involved with an illegal gambling site operation ring, and lent his own account.