President Lee orders immediate removal of illegal online job ads linked to Southeast Asia
The Lee Jae Myung administration is set to repatriate around 60 South Korean detainees in Cambodia on a chartered flight on Friday night, as part of its intensified efforts to combat a surge in job scams targeting Korean nationals in Cambodia.
Speaking at a press briefing, national security adviser Wi Sung-lac announced Friday afternoon that a flight arranged by the South Korean government was expected to depart Phnom Penh for Incheon around midnight.
Wi further explained that South Korean and Cambodian authorities have been in the final stages of coordination on the plan, which he described as “proceeding smoothly so far.”
Most of the South Koreans are suspected of being complicit in online scams and other crimes committed in Cambodian territory, and therefore are subject to arrest by South Korean authorities.
“All individuals are, in principle, suspects facing criminal charges and will be escorted after going through legal procedures. Upon arrival, they will be immediately transferred to the police agency with jurisdiction for investigation and legal action,” Wi explained.
“Most of them hold the status of criminal suspects, and the majority are individuals for whom arrest warrants have been issued” by the South Korean goverment, Wi said, adding the arrest warrants will take effect immediately once they board the plane.
The agreement between South Korea and Cambodia on the swift repatriation was reached during a visit by an interagency response team led by Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina, which included Park Sung-joo, head of the National Office of Investigation. The team met with the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Thursday, and Minister of Interior Sar Sokha on Friday, as well as other high-level officials.
Wi also stressed that"The key task now is how to deal with those still remaining in Cambodia who are suspected of being complicit in in criminal activities."
“They are presumed to be engaged in voice phishing operations targeting South Koreans, and we must continue to address this problem.”
Wi further disclosed that Seoul plans to establish a"Korean Desk," which will have a dedicated police liaison office to handle cases involving Korean nationals, and continue joint law enforcement operations and crackdowns with Cambodian authorities.
“If we apprehend many more offenders, we may send another chartered flight, just as we did this time,” Wi said during the briefing.
Wi also said the Lee administration had instructed South Korea’s diplomatic missions abroad to conduct a comprehensive survey to identify similar cases in their host countries and to proactively detect potential risk factors in advance.
Park Il, head of the Foreign Ministry’s separate task force and former South Korean ambassador to Lebanon, has arrived in Cambodia and commenced his work on the ground. Park is expected to continue to lead efforts to address cases of forced confinement and other crimes against Korean nationals.
The Lee administration has mounted a full-scale response amid mounting public concerns over a rapid increase in cases of South Koreans being enticed by bogus job advertisements and then forced into labor and criminal activities.
Public outcry has flared in South Korea after the body of a Korean university student was found in early August at a scam compound on Bokor Mountain in Kampot Province, Cambodia.
Lee has also ordered the urgent removal of"illegal online job advertisements" not only offering jobs in Cambodia but across all of Southeast Asia to “prevent innocent citizens from being harmed,” presidential secretary for public relations Lee Kyu-youn announced Friday. His office did not specify how ads would be judged as illegal.
President Lee instructed the Korea Media and Communications Commission, the Korea Communications Standards Commission, and the Korean National Police Agency to carry out the directive. A consultative body involving Naver, Kakao, and Google was also officially launched Friday to implement a self-regulatory review system.
Separately, the Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin convened an emergency meeting Friday to discuss measures to protect students amid a surge in overseas job scams and crimes targeting Koreans, following the recent death of a Korean student in Cambodia.
The meeting focused on ways to safeguard university and college students from potential exploitation and harm, sharing preventive education and guidance cases among institutions, and deliberating necessary follow-up actions.
