South Korean broadcaster KBS on October 15 that the Cambodian side said that about 80 South Koreans are currently detained in Cambodia, but they do not want to return to South Korea.
Dussoka, a spokesman for the Cambodian Ministry of Internal Affairs, confirmed on Thursday that although South Korean officials have contacted the 80 people, all of them have denied the opportunity to return.
Dussoka said it was a "preliminary message" he received, but has not yet verified whether the 80 people were "currently missing Korean citizens" mentioned by the South Korean Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
At a press conference in Seoul, South Korea's State Security Chamber chief Wei Sanlo said on October 15 that the current priority of the South Korean government is to take back as soon as possible the more than 60 Korean suspects captured by the Cambodian intelligence department, and strive to be completed by the end of this week.
It is that most South Koreans are detained by Cambodian criminal gangs, and some South Koreans are detained by Cambodian investigators for suspicion of telephone fraud, etc. Because there are many variables in the rescue of South Korean citizens detained by criminal gangs, the South Korean government plans to prioritize the return of South Korean citizens who have been captured by the investigators.
He said more than 200,000 people from various countries were engaged in fraud activities in Cambodia, including more than 1,000 Koreans. Cambodia has recently captured thousands of people, including 63 Koreans. He also revealed that the South Korean government is arranging flights to take back the people concerned. While the pace of negotiations on the relevant procedures remains variable, it will endeavour to take back the citizens by this weekend.
South Korean police released a message on the 15th that 4 of the 63 South Koreans detained by the Cambodia Immigration Bureau were sent home on Korean Air and other airlines on the 14th. It is reported that these people were arrested during the local police crackdown on criminal gangs 'dens, and some of them were included in Interpol's red wanted notice list. As a result, the number of South Korean citizens detained locally was reduced to 59.
The police released a plan for the protection of South Korean citizens in Cambodia the day before, saying that they planned to send all detainees back to the country within a month. According to South Korea's Aviation Security Law, each flag-carrying airline passenger plane can only carry a maximum of 2 criminal suspects under escort. Since flag-carrying passenger aircraft to and from South Korea and Cambodia operates two flights a day, the police can send up to four suspects back home every day.
It is reported that the South Korean government is considering sending charter flights to retrieve all detainees. In this regard, relevant police sources said that the return work is proceeding in turn, but due to the many variables in the local situation, there is no conclusion on the matter of arranging charter flights to pick it up.