(National Comprehensive = Yonhap News) While a Korean college student in his 20s was murdered by a local criminal organization in Cambodia, sparking national outrage, cases of our citizens going missing or being imprisoned in Cambodia are being revealed one after another through reports from their families.

According to a comprehensive report by Yonhap News on the 13th, a report was received by the police stating that"contact with Mr. A, a man in his 30s who left Sangju, Gyeongbuk for Cambodia on August 19th, has not been made."

It was discovered that Mr. A lost contact after leaving the country, and then five days later on the 24th, he told his family via a Telegram video call,"If you send 20 million won, you can be released," and then lost contact again.

The police reported the incident to the Korean Embassy in Cambodia, the International Cooperation Office of the National Police Agency, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Call Center, believing that a criminal organization in Cambodia was holding Mr. A captive and threatening and extorting him.

In Gwangju, a missing person report was received from the family of Mr. B (20s) in August, who could not be contacted.

Police are tracking his whereabouts after confirming through immigration records that he left the country for Thailand two months ago.

The family believes that Mr. B moved from Thailand to Cambodia, and recently received calls from an unknown number asking for help.

On the 9th, the Chungbuk Police also received a report from parents saying,"It seems like their son C is being held captive in Cambodia."

Mr. C's parents told the police,"My son went on a trip to Cambodia with two male acquaintances of the same age, and they contacted me via KakaoTalk saying that they were being watched inside a building in Phnom Penh."

Police plan to register Mr. C as a missing person and request assistance from Cambodian police authorities to identify the two acquaintances who accompanied him.

In Wonju, Gangwon Province, the police have launched an investigation into a missing person report in which they have been unable to contact their older brother D (20s), who went to Cambodia to earn money.

Mr. D, who left for Cambodia alone from Incheon Airport at around 7:00 PM on June 8, has not been in contact with his family since his last contact on the 17th of last month.

Police are investigating after contact with a man in his 30s who left Daegu for Cambodia to make money was cut off.

The man reportedly lost contact with his family on the 11th, two days after leaving the country, after sending a message saying he was working with Chinese people and would contact them again.

There are also cases where people were reported to have been detained by Cambodian criminal organizations, but have since returned to their home countries or their whereabouts have been identified.

On July 9, a family member reported to the Jeju West Police Station, saying,"We received a call from an unidentified person saying that E (20s) was in their possession."

The police, who had launched an investigation, reported that Mr. E was being held and threatened by a criminal organization and requested local cooperation in the investigation, but Mr. E suddenly returned to Korea on August 10th.

Mr. E's parents told the police,"We were asked to pay 35 million won worth of cryptocurrency as ransom, and we were released after paying it."

In March, a report was received in Jeollabuk-do that a woman in her 20s, Ms. F, who had traveled to Cambodia, had gone missing several months ago.

The reporter urgently requested help from the police, saying,"I received a photo of a severed finger from my younger sibling."

The Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency, together with the Cambodian Embassy, located Mr. F, who had been reported missing, and investigated the circumstances, but found no evidence of criminal involvement. Judging from the fact that he is active outside and can be contacted, they believe he was not kidnapped or imprisoned by a criminal organization.

In Incheon, a man in his 30s was arrested by the police after he went to Cambodia to make money and was involved in an illegal gambling website operation organization and lent his account.

The man entered the country on August 25th after his account deposits and withdrawals were suspended and went to a bank. He was arrested after police questioned him about his suspicious account details.

He stated in the investigation at the time,"I was detained in Cambodia for a week and survived on 10 small bottles of water," and "I was with one or two other Koreans."

He then reportedly claimed,"I came to Korea after being told that if the bank lifted the freeze on my account, they would pay a 2-3% commission on the transfer amount and raise my credit rating as an intermediary."

The police recently booked the man without detention on charges of violating the Electronic Financial Transactions Act and sent him to the prosecution.

Previously, Mr. Park (20s), a college student from Yecheon, Gyeongbuk Province, left for Cambodia on July 17, telling his family that he was going to a local exhibition, and was found dead near Mount Boko in Kampot, three weeks later on August 8.

Cambodian police listed Park's cause of death on his death certificate as"cardiac arrest (extreme pain due to torture)", and the Kampot Provincial Prosecutor's Office in Cambodia arrested and indicted three Chinese nationals on charges of murder and fraud, believing they tortured and then killed Park.

The National Police Agency is reportedly planning to begin investigations prior to filing cases after receiving 486 reports of missing, kidnapped, and detained Cambodian citizens from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As crimes targeting Koreans continue to occur, the police plan to establish a Korean Desk (a police officer dedicated to handling Korean-related cases) in Cambodia and expand the deployment of police consuls.

Acting National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoo Jae-sung said at a regular press conference on the same day,"Next week, at a bilateral meeting with the Cambodian Deputy Commissioner General of the National Police, I will request the establishment of a Korean desk in Cambodia and a strong response from the local police."

Police are also considering strengthening their comprehensive investigation into local Korean victims of crime and deaths.