Overview
- Cambodian authorities raided a suspected scam site in Phnom Penh, arresting 57 South Koreans and 29 Chinese nationals and seizing 126 computers and 30 phones, days after mass repatriations to Korea.
- South Korea has detained 59 of 64 nationals repatriated on Oct. 18, with investigators citing coordinated false statements, use of fake identities and instructions to wipe or abandon phones before return.
- The National Intelligence Service told lawmakers it is tracking a prime suspect in the student’s killing who is linked to a 2023 Daechi‑dong drug case, and estimated 1,000–2,000 Koreans are involved in Cambodia-based scams.
- A parliamentary audit found about 100 kidnapping and confinement cases involving Koreans in Cambodia remain unresolved and revealed embassy staff let an Interpol‑listed romance‑scam ringleader leave the mission in 2024.
- A joint autopsy on the slain student reported extensive bruising with no organ removal, the remains were repatriated on Oct. 21, and the exact cause of death awaits tissue and toxicology results.