CaliToday (18/10/2025): The arrest comes as South Korea repatriates 64 of its own citizens detained in Cambodia for online fraud, while 80 more remain missing.
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – In a dark escalation of Southeast Asia's ongoing "scamdemic," police in South Korea have arrested a key recruiter allegedly part of a criminal ring linked to the torture and death of a SouthKorean student in Cambodia earlier this year.
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| Police officers escort South Korean deportees, suspected of being involved in online scam operations in Cambodia, upon their arrival at the Incheon international airport in Incheon, South Korea, on Saturday [Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters] |
The Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang) Provincial Police announced on Saturday, October 18, that they had apprehended a man in his 20s. He is believed to be the head of a fraudulent recruitment operation that lured victims abroad with false promises of "high-pay, easy-work" jobs, only to trap them in brutal criminal enterprises.
The suspect is allegedly connected to another man, Mr. Hong, also in his 20s, who was previously arrested on charges of facilitating illegal bank accounts for the syndicate's transactions.
The Torture-Death That Exposed the Ring
This arrest is a direct component of a horrifying investigation that began in August. Police suspect this recruitment ring is tied to the death of a South Korean student (also in his 20s) whose body was discovered near Bokor Mountain in Cambodia's Kampot province.
The student had reportedly traveled to Cambodia a month earlier under the false pretense of attending an "exhibition."
In a chilling official statement, Cambodian authorities declared the student's cause of death was cardiac arrest brought on by torture and extreme physical pain. The case sent shockwaves through South Korea, highlighting the horrific dangers lurking behind deceptive online job offers.
The incident is a terrifying example of a well-documented trend: South Korean citizens being dụ dỗ (lured) to Cambodia and other Southeast Asian nations, only to have their passports confiscated. They are then forced to work in vast, fortified online scam compounds—often targeting their fellow Koreans back home—and subjected to confinement, debt bondage, and extreme violence by the criminal gangs that run them.
Government Response: Task Force and Mass Repatriation
The student's death prompted the South Korean government to dispatch a special task force to Cambodia to address the growing crisis and the targeting of its citizens.
In a complex twist that reveals the dual nature of the crisis, a flight departed from Incheon International Airport on Saturday morning, repatriating 64 South Koreans who had been detained in Cambodia.
However, these individuals are not all classified as rescued victims. Upon their arrival in South Korea, they were immediately arrested by police for investigation.
A day earlier, National Security Advisor Wi Sung Lac clarified the situation, stating that most of the returnees face serious criminal charges in South Korea for their involvement in the online fraud operations. Arrest warrants had already been issued for many, with some even subject to Interpol red notices.
This mass arrest underscores the tragic cycle of the scamdemic, where some victims are coerced into becoming perpetrators. Advisor Wi stated that South Korea is prepared to dispatch additional flights if more of its nationals are detained by Cambodian authorities.
The crisis is far from over. Earlier this week, a Foreign Ministry official stated that approximately 80 South Koreans believed to be involved in these Cambodian scam operations are still missing, and their safety cannot be confirmed. The arrest of the recruiter is a significant step, but it signals the grim reality of a much larger, darker network that continues to operate.
