South Korea, Cambodia to tackle escalating number of job scams targeting Korean nationals

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - A South Korean delegation arrived Thursday in Cambodia to tackle an escalating job scam crisis involving the abduction and brutal abuse of South Koreans, local media reported Thursday.

The government response team, led by Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Ji-na, plans to meet with Prime Minister Hun Manet to address the issue, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The team includes officials from the National Policy Agency, the Ministry of Justice and the National Intelligence Service.

Aside from a meeting with the head of Cambodia's Commission for Combatting Online Scams, the team will discuss plans to repatriate 61 South Koreans detained by Cambodian immigration authorities over their suspected involvement in the organized crime, possibly via a special flight.

South Korean police have already booked the detainees over the job scams and Seoul is pushing for their swift repatriation to hold them legally accountable in line with Korean criminal proceedings.

Cambodia has arrested around 3,500 suspects of 20 nationalities in an ongoing crackdown on online scam centers.

Dozens of ringleaders have been sent to courts for prosecution, while most others have been deported back to their countries.

The Southeast Asian country has launched a nationwide crackdown on cyber scam networks, aiming at maintaining and protecting security, public order and social safety.