South Koreans are cancelling holidays not only to Cambodia but also to neighbouring Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Laos, spooked by government travel bans and reports of compatriots being kidnapped, trafficked or killed by regional crime syndicates.

A man in his fifties surnamed Son told the Korea JoongAng Daily he had just cancelled a December golf trip with friends to Phnom Penh. “It’s a waste to lose the cancellation fee,” he said, “but I just can’t bring myself to go to Cambodia right now.”

Concerns have deepened after recent reports about a 22-year-old South Korean college student who was found dead in August in Cambodia’s Kampot province. Authorities said he died of cardiac arrest after being tortured at a compound linked to online scam operations.

In an online community for sharing Southeast Asia travel information, one user wrote: “I was planning to take my child to Angkor Wat for a history lesson, but I’ll have to give up on that for now.”

South Korea bans travel to Cambodia scam hotspots

South Korea bans travel to Cambodia scam hotspots

On Wednesday, South Korea issued a “code-black” travel ban for parts of Cambodia linked to scam operations.