Korea rocked
Cambodia’s notorious scam center operations have penetrated the heart of South Korean society after the torture and murder of a student triggered an outbreak of kidnapping reports from across the country.
reports of disappearances have surfaced in multiple cities and provinces
Since news recently emerged of the murder of the university student from Korea’s North Gyeongsang Province, reports of disappearances have surfaced in multiple cities and provinces including Sangju, Gyeongbuk, Chungcheongbuk, and Gwangju Metropolitan City.
The murder victim, 22-year-old Park Min-ho, reportedly traveled to Cambodia for a job fair.
The escalating news has rocked the country, with the government, the president, and the foreign ministry launching a response and declaring a travel warning.
Reports flood in
According to the Chosun Daily, Park was found dead in a Cambodian compound known locally as “Wench.” A victim from the same site who managed to escape stated that Park “was beaten so severely he could neither walk nor breathe, and died on the way to the hospital.”
Reports of Park’s death have prompted fresh kidnapping reports, including one received by Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency on October 13. The alleged 30-year-old victim reportedly contacted his family via a video call on Telegram, saying: “If you send 20 million Korean won ($14k), I can be released,” before ceasing communication.
Four days before, a report received by Chungcheongbuk police station stated: “My son seems to have been confined in Cambodia. He says not to report it to the police.” This parent said the son “mentioned that his bank account is being used for money laundering, and if the account is frozen, his safety could be at risk.”
finger cut off
Police, meanwhile, confirmed the reported kidnapped son’s bank account was used in domestic voice phishing crimes. Other reports include ordeals of surviving a week on ten “bottles of mineral water,” and a woman who had gone to travel in Cambodia sending her family a picture with her finger cut off.
Near escapes
The Korean kidnappings underline the sophisticated, deadly and relentless growth of Southeast Asia’s cyber scam industry. Despite the US issuing sanctions against cyber scam operators in Cambodia and Myanmar, the discovery of another scam center on Australia’s doorstep earlier this month signals the extent of the vast human trafficking network.
Fortunately, some of the South Koreans kidnapped by the Cambodian scam network, typically linked to cyber crime, illegal gambling, prostitution, and romance scams, have returned to their homelands, but at a price.
In June, kidnappers released a Jeju resident after their family paid virtual currency worth 35 million Korean won ($24,428). It was the same story for the family of a kidnapped couple from Gyeongnam, who paid 16 million Korean won ($11,166) for their release from Cambodia.
