Phnom Penh, Cambodia – A horrific case of kidnapping, extortion, and murder has sent shockwaves through both South Korea and Cambodia, after a 22-year-old South Korean student, Park Min-ho, was found dead in the Kampot province of Cambodia in August 2025. The case has cast a harsh spotlight on the dark underbelly of transnational crime syndicates operating in Southeast Asia, luring unsuspecting victims with fraudulent job offers.
Park, a university student from Yecheon, North Gyeongsang province, traveled to Cambodia on July 17, 2025, telling his family he was attending an exhibition. Approximately a week after his arrival, his family in South Korea received a chilling phone call from a man, reportedly speaking with a Chinese-Korean accent, demanding a ransom of 50 million won (approximately $38,500 USD). The caller claimed that Park had caused "trouble" and was being detained.
The family immediately contacted the South Korean embassy and local police. However, communication with the kidnappers ceased after four days. On August 8, Park's body was discovered in a pickup truck near Bokor Mountain, a region that has become notorious for hosting criminal enterprises engaged in online scams and human trafficking.
An autopsy revealed the brutal extent of Park's ordeal. The cause of death was determined to be cardiac arrest resulting from severe and prolonged torture. Reports from a witness who was allegedly held captive with Park stated that he had been so severely beaten he was unable to walk or even breathe properly and died while being transported in a vehicle, presumably to a hospital.
Cambodian authorities have since arrested and charged three Chinese nationals in connection with the heinous crime. The suspects have been identified as Li Xingpeng, 35, Zhu Renzhe, 43, and Liu Haoxing, 29. They face charges of murder and online fraud. Police are reportedly searching for at least two other Chinese suspects believed to be involved in the crime.
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| Three suspects, all Chinese nationals, in the case of a South Korean citizen A being kidnapped and tortured to death. Photo: Yonhap |
The incident has sparked outrage in South Korea and has prompted the government to take immediate action. South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a travel ban for parts of Cambodia, including the area where Park's body was found. The South Korean government has also dispatched a joint response team to Cambodia to investigate the case and address the rising number of crimes targeting its citizens.
This tragic event is believed to be part of a larger, more sinister trend of "pig butchering" scams, where victims are lured with fake job offers, often for high-paying positions in tech or customer service. Once they arrive in the host country, their passports and phones are confiscated, and they are forced into a life of crime, working in online scam operations. Those who resist or fail to meet quotas are often subjected to extreme violence, torture, and extortion.
The case of Park Min-ho serves as a grim reminder of the dangers posed by these criminal networks and the urgent need for international cooperation to dismantle them. The South Korean government has urged Cambodian authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation and to bring all those responsible for Park's death to justice. As the investigation continues, the victim's family, and the public in both nations, await answers and the assurance that such a tragedy will not be repeated.
