South Korean police said Sunday they had rescued a Korean held inside a scam compound in Cambodia and detained 26 other Koreans in a joint operation with local authorities, as Seoul steps up cooperation to dismantle transnational fraud networks in Southeast Asia.
The National Police Agency said that the rescue took place last Thursday at a crime complex in Mondulkiri province, about 300 kilometers from Phnom Penh.
The victim, a man in his 20s, had been confined inside the compound, which police described as a base for organized phone and internet scam operations.
Cambodian police also detained 26 Korean nationals found at the site, the agency said.
President Lee Jae Myung praised the joint operation, thanking officers for carrying out the mission under difficult conditions.
“I extend my deep gratitude to the police officers who completed their mission despite dangerous and harsh conditions in a foreign land,” Lee said in a post on X on Sunday.
Lee said Korea would further strengthen cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies to eradicate international organized crime.
“We will do everything possible at every stage, from tracking and investigation to arrest and repatriation,” he said.
The operation was launched after a missing-persons report was filed in Korea on Dec. 2, prompting authorities to confirm that the victim was being held in Cambodia. South Korean police then dispatched four officers from a Korea-focused task force operating jointly with Cambodian police.
After assessing the size of the compound, security deployment and potential escape routes, Korean and Cambodian authorities drew up a joint plan.
Last Thursday, about 40 Cambodian police officers surrounded the building, sealed off the perimeter and rescued the victim, while detaining the other Koreans inside.
Police said they are working to repatriate those they detained and are investigating how they came to be in Cambodia, including whether they were trafficked or voluntarily involved in criminal activity. Authorities are also examining whether any of the detainees were coerced into participating in scam operations.
hnpark@heraldcorp.com
