On Thursday, South Korea and Cambodian officials held talks in Phnom Penh to formally reach a consensus on cooperation to jointly combat transnational cyber fraud crime.
The cause of the collaboration was a South Korean student who was forced to participate in cyber fraud in Cambodia and killed in abuse, which sparked strong public outrage in South Korea and prompted the two countries to accelerate consultations on fraud issues.
South Korean university student朴敏浩, 22, was lost after arriving in Cambodia on July 17, and on August 8, the body of朴敏浩 was found in a pick-up truck in the southern province of Gombou, Cambodia.
An investigation by the local police revealed that he died of cardiac arrest due to beatings and ill-treatment. South Korean media reported that Park Min-ho was lured to Cambodia by a friend on the grounds of "introducing a job." The friend involved in the case has been arrested in South Korea.
Conversation situation
According to the Associated Press, South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Jin led a delegation to Cambodia. Besides meeting with Cambodian government officials, he also met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hong Manai.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea disclosed that during the talks, Jin Zhenwo explicitly asked Cambodia to intensify its crackdown on cyber fraud crimes, stressing that "the loss of a young life is enough to warn the seriousness of the problem".
Hong Manai apologized for the death of the Korean students who died, promised to take more measures to ensure the safety of Korean citizens in Cambodia, and clearly expressed his support for deepening anti-fraud cooperation between the two countries.
Speaking through social platforms after the Hong Manai meeting, he said that the two countries "will continue to strengthen cooperation, prevent, curb and combat cyber fraud hubs more efficiently", and released a clear and sincere cooperation will.
Regarding the issue of the return of the body of Park Min Ho, Kim Jong-un called on Cambodia to "repatriate as soon as possible" during the talks.The South Korean official had previously revealed that the process of the return of the body was hindered and originated from the Korean hope that the two countries' pathology experts jointly conducted a body examination, and the two sides had disputes on the matter.
On the day of the talks on Thursday, South Korea's travel restrictions on parts of Cambodia came into effect. The restriction involves Mount Bogo in Kampot Province (where Park Min-ho's body was found), Bawit town bordering Vietnam, and Poipet town adjacent to Thailand.
In the talks, Mr. Hong-Manne said that he was concerned that the restriction would have a negative impact on Cambodia’s investment and tourism industry and hoped that South Korea would ease the restriction; Mr. Kim Jin-in responded that travel restrictions were a necessary measure to safeguard national security and that South Korea would consider adjusting the restrictions if the subsequent Cambodian fraud issue improved.
Huge industrial chain
The transnationality and harmfulness of the Cambodian cyber fraud industry were also highlighted in the talks.
Statistics from the United Nations and related agencies show that most online scams around the world originate in Southeast Asia, from which international criminal gangs make billions of dollars every year. Common methods include disguising "friends" to commit fraud and hyping "false investment opportunities" to lure funds.
South Korean officials estimate that at present, about 200,000 people in online fraud dens in Cambodia are forced to participate in fraud work, including more than 1,000 Koreans.
For the 1000 Koreans involved in the scam, South Korea's official analysis pointed out that some people were deceived by the false promise of "high-paying work", documents were confiscated after arrival, forced labor, but some were voluntarily joined.
According to the data provided by South Korea's national security adviser Wei Shengluo at a briefing on Wednesday (October 15th), in the first eight months of 2025, 330 South Koreans have been detained in Cambodia. The relevant information comes from the victims themselves or their families. At present, 80% of the cases have been solved.
Cambodia has also recently arrested 60 South Koreans suspected of participating in cyber fraud, who will be investigated according to the extent of the fraud and face corresponding legal punishment after being deported back to South Korea.
Regarding the difficulty of controlling transnational online fraud, Wei Shengluo said earlier on Thursday (October 16th) that it is difficult to completely solve the problem of overseas transnational fraud by South Korea's unilateral forces alone, but South Korea will use all available means to protect citizens' safety and property, and strengthen coordination with Cambodia, neighboring countries and international organizations.
However, Hong Manai stressed that Cambodia's online fraud problem "does not need neighboring countries to do it", and South Korea and Cambodia can solve it through bilateral consultations without the intervention of a third party.
Jeremy Douglas, chief of staff of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (former representative of the agency in Southeast Asia and the Pacific) pointed out: "Southeast Asia, especially the Mekong region (the border area of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand), is the most important hub of fraud and illegal online gambling in the world."
He explained that “criminals favor the high level of environmental freedom, easy access to funds and easy hiding, with minimal regulatory resistance.”
Douglas said: “The country’s response plan is not yet clear, but it is urgent to promote regional synergies, a problem that should never be ignored.”