Cambodia abductions raise alarm across South Korea

After a 22-year-old Korean college student identified as Park was abducted, tortured, and killed in Cambodia, reports of similar cases have emerged nationwide.

Police said on Oct. 13 that a man in his 30s from Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, who traveled to Cambodia in August, called his family saying he could be freed if they sent 20 million won, then lost contact. In Gwangju, two men in their 20s disappeared after receiving offers in April and June to earn 10 million won a month as swimming instructors in Cambodia. Authorities reported more than 20 similar cases nationwide, including three in Jeju and six in North Jeolla Province.

Most of the missing were lured through social media with offers of high-paying overseas jobs. Police believe local criminal groups or voice-phishing networks detained, assaulted, and extorted the victims. Park is thought to have been deceived in the same way. Authorities are considering a nationwide review of Korean victims in Cambodia to determine whether the cases are linked to organized crime.

Police and aid groups say the surge is driven by large Chinese-led crime networks in Cambodia that subcontract Korean recruiters to lure young people abroad. South Koreans are seen as easy targets because of their economic status and active social media use. A police official warned that online recruitment is spreading and the number of victims is likely to rise.


안동=명민준 기자 mmj86@donga.com