South Korea Faces Crisis as Citizens “Abducted and Tortured” in Cambodia Following Student’s Murder

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting held at the presidential office in Seoul, October 14, 2025. Photo: Joint Press Corps

The South Korean government is facing a deepening crisis after a surge of reports that South Korean nationals have been lured, detained, and tortured in Cambodia over the past few months. Most victims are young people deceived by fraudulent online job offers promising unusually high salaries abroad. The incident that ignited nationwide outrage was the murder of Park Min-Ho, a 22-year-old student,
who left his home in Yecheon on July 17 and went missing. A week later, his family received a ransom call demanding 50 million won (USD 38,500). His body was discovered on August 8 near Bokor Mountain in Kampong Province, a notorious crime zone. Authorities suspect the crime was carried out by a Chinese-led transnational criminal network involved in large-scale scam operations.

Following Park’s death and over 20 similar abduction cases across the country, President Lee Jae Myung convened a cabinet meeting in Seoul on October 14, 2025, issuing an urgent order for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and security agencies to mobilize all available resources to protect South Koreans abroad. President Lee emphasized that “the government’s highest duty is to protect the lives and safety of its people” and ordered the immediate rescue and repatriation of those kidnapped or detained. The government also raised its travel advisory for Cambodia, particularly for Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, and Bokor Mountain, to the highest “Special Advisory” level, effective October 10.

In response to the escalating situation, South Korea plans to establish a special task unit called the “Korean Desk,” which will station South Korean police officers within Cambodia’s law enforcement agencies to handle cases involving Korean nationals. The initiative will be formally discussed during a bilateral meeting between the national police chiefs of both countries in Seoul on October 23, on the sidelines of the Interpol Summit (October 20-23). Additionally, Seoul has requested a joint autopsy in Park’s case to ensure transparency in the investigation.

According to South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at least 330 South Koreans were deceived and held captive in Cambodia between January and August 2025, a dramatic increase from only 2 cases in 2021, 17 in 2023, and 220 in 2024. President Lee stated that South Korea ranks fifth or sixth among nationalities most frequently targeted in Cambodia. Meanwhile, Amnesty International reported in June 2025 that there are at least 53 major online scam compounds still operating in Cambodia, accusing the Cambodian government of failing to take decisive action against the criminal networks.

Mugshots of three suspects indicted for the murder of a 22-year-old Korean university student in Cambodia. Photo: Courtesy of Cambodian National Police

Park Min-Ho’s case remains at the center of public anger. The autopsy confirmed that he died from severe torture, with multiple bruises covering his body. Three Chinese nationals have been charged with murder and online fraud in connection with the crime. However, Park’s family has yet to receive his body, over two months after his death, while Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior denied parts of the reports, claiming it had not received any formal complaint from the family or the South Korean embassy before the body was discovered.

The crisis has sparked intense public outrage across South Korea. Social media has been flooded with images of discarded passports from various countries found in Cambodian trash bins, symbolizing what netizens describe as a “lawless crime city.” In response, the South Korean Foreign Ministry summoned the Cambodian ambassador to express grave concern. Some members of the Democratic Party have even suggested considering military measures if Cambodia fails to act decisively. President Lee Jae Myung condemned the situation, declaring, “Cambodia has become a city of crime where our citizens are no longer safe.”

Source: The Korea Times

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