October 17, 2025 | 06:15 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The President of South Korea, Lee Jae-myung, on Thursday, October 16, 2025, instructed the Korea Communications Standards Commission to use its emergency review system to remove job advertisements that lure South Korean citizens into falling victim to online scams or becoming part of online fraud cartels in Cambodia.
The Director of the National Security Office, Wi Sung-rak, as reported by Naver, stated in a briefing held at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, "President Lee continued to urge an all-out response today, monitoring the situation and ensuring thorough preparation."
Director Wi added, "Today, the situation in Cambodia was discussed significantly in several inspection meetings within the Office of the President, and we decided to pursue various countermeasures."
Director Wi also mentioned that the judicial authorities have decided to strengthen monitoring of online posts related to Cambodia to prevent further damage.
"We need to strengthen all steps, from preventative measures such as monitoring job search websites domestically and internationally, to on-site responses such as rescuing local victims, to post-measures such as identifying and prosecuting those involved. We will conduct a more thorough review at the government-wide level," Director Wi said.
"We are also closely examining the various aspects of the current situation that the media has reported from a macroscopic perspective. Through this, we are reflecting on what we were unaware of and striving to incorporate them into our work as much as possible," he added.
However, Director Wi stated, "The claim that our government, including the President, was indifferent to the safety and lives of our citizens overseas is far from the truth."
"Long before Cambodian job fraud and detention became a major issue late last week, the President had already paid special attention to this case, including directing the establishment of measures to protect Cambodian citizens. There were at least four related reports and instructions from late July to early October," Director Wi explained.
"It is far from the truth that the government’s response was delayed in response to the death of our citizen near the Vietnam-Cambodia border that was reported yesterday. This person was found collapsed at a Vietnamese checkpoint on the Vietnam-Cambodia border on October 8, and our embassy requested a thorough investigation from the Vietnamese police immediately after learning of the death," he said.
He added, "We supported the bereaved family’s entry into Vietnam the very next day, October 9, and an autopsy was conducted on October 10. The remains were transported on October 11, and we promptly provided consular assistance."
The South Korean government will conduct a comprehensive investigation of 190 foreign diplomatic missions worldwide regarding the situation in Cambodia and strengthen international cooperation.
"The online scam industry in Southeast Asia is not the misconduct of a few individuals, but rather a massive, organized industry with approximately 200,000 employees of various countries and nationalities, and a form of transnational crime," he said. "Beyond the current issue of Cambodia, international cooperation with neighboring countries, relevant major countries, and international organizations is essential."
"We plan to conduct a comprehensive investigation of 190 overseas diplomatic missions worldwide, not just in Vietnam and Thailand, but also across Southeast Asia, to determine whether there are any similar cases that could harm Korean nationals residing abroad, and to strengthen cooperation with the relevant countries," Director Wi said.
1,000 South Korean Citizens Involved in Fraud Operations in Cambodia
As reported by CNA, Seoul estimates that about 1,000 South Korean citizens are believed to be among the total of about 200,000 people working in fraudulent operations in Cambodia.
Some people were forced to work under the threat of violence to carry out the "pig slaughtering" scam investment scheme in cryptocurrency that builds trust with victims over time before stealing their funds.
South Korea, on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, banned its citizens from traveling to certain areas in Cambodia and sent a government team to the Southeast Asian country to address cases of false employment and fraud centers involved in the abduction of dozens of its citizens.
Seoul's special mission to Cambodia followed public anger in South Korea over the murder of a Korean student in Cambodia who was reportedly abducted and tortured by a criminal group in August.
Editor's Choice: Why Does South Korea Issue "Code-Black" Travel Ban on Parts of Cambodia?
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