Hun Manet, the prime minister of Cambodia, on the 16th expressed deep regret and sorrow over a Korean national's death in his country and said he would work to apprehend the suspect and protect Koreans in Cambodia.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that day, Prime Minister Manet said this during a meeting with the government joint response team, including Vice Minister Kim Jin-a of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Park Sung-ju, head of the National Office of Investigation at the Korean National Police Agency, who are visiting Cambodia.
In the meeting, Vice Minister Kim expressed the government's strong concern over the continued occurrence of employment fraud and confinement targeting Koreans. She also requested active measures and cooperation from the Cambodian side to protect our nationals from such crimes and to eradicate online scam crimes in Cambodia.
Vice Minister Kim noted the importance of the Korea-Cambodia joint response task force (TF) on scam crimes, in which our Korean National Police Agency and other relevant agencies participate, and requested active cooperation from the Cambodian side for the swift repatriation of Korean offenders currently detained in Cambodia.
She also asked for continued cooperation so that the procedures requested by the Ministry of Justice of Korea for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters—such as providing copies of the autopsy and investigation records on the Korean national found dead in early Aug. in the Bokor Mountain area of Kampot Province—and for cremation and the repatriation of the remains can be completed as quickly as possible.
Prime Minister Manet explained that he is actively working at the level of the Committee for Countering Online Scams (CCOS), which he leads as chairperson, by strengthening crackdowns. He added that he hopes to further strengthen these efforts through bilateral cooperation going forward.
Prime Minister Manet said he was concerned that the recent upgrade of the travel advisory on Cambodia by the Korean government could negatively affect investment and tourism in Cambodia, and he requested a downgrade of the advisory. Vice Minister Kim replied that the measure was an unavoidable decision and that a downgrade would be considered if the situation improves.
Meanwhile, the government joint response team visited the Taija complex, one of the scam complexes in Takeo Province, with Cambodian officials in the afternoon that day to inspect the site and heard explanations from the Cambodian side on the operation status of major scam complexes and the current state of crackdowns.