Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed Monday to set up a Cambodia-Korea Joint Task Force next month to tackle crimes involving Korean nationals in Cambodia, following discussion on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
The agreement followed the death of a Korean student in Cambodia, who was allegedly tortured to death — eliciting strong reactions from the South Korean government, including the dispatch of an inspection team to Cambodia this month and the issuance of travel advisories in several areas.
According to Prime Minister Hun Manet, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation in preventing, suppressing, and combating crime, particularly transnational and cybercrime involving Korean nationals in Cambodia, with the aim of maintaining public order and social safety. They also discussed safety of citizens, tourists, and investors, including Cambodians working in Korea and Koreans residing in Cambodia.
Both sides further pledged to enhance information sharing and public communication to prevent misunderstandings and ease public concerns related to travel and safety.
“Fight against cybercrime has been a priority of the Royal Government since the previous mandate and continues to this day, and Cambodia believes that cooperation between our countries will provide a strong and effective force that will ensure the safety of both people,” Hun Manet stressed.
South Korean presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said the impending Cambodia-Korea Joint Task Force will include the dispatch of Korean police officers to Cambodia — its size and operational details would be finalized soon.
During South Korea’s summit with ASEAN, President Lee reiterated that his government will set up cooperation with the bloc to combat transnational crimes in Southeast Asia.
He noted that scam centers have spread in border areas with “weak law enforcement, exploiting and victimizing young people”. To tackle this, the Korean National Police Agency plans to work closely with the ASEAN Police Chiefs (ASEANAPOL) to dismantle criminal networks.
South Korean authorities estimate that around 1,000 of their nationals are involved — either trafficked or willingly — in organized crime operations across Cambodia. Hundreds of scam compounds, many allegedly run by Chinese syndicates, are believed to have trafficked more than 150,000 people from various countries.
On October 18, 64 South Koreans detained in Cambodia for alleged online scams were repatriated to Korea, where most now face criminal investigations. Their return followed the dispatch of a South Korean government response team to assist nationals implicated in online scam operations run by local crime groups.
The summit also saw President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Hun Manet agreeing to expand cooperation against transnational crime, including narcotics trafficking and online scams that defrauded Americans of over $10 billion.
The move follows U.S. and U.K. sanctions on Cambodia’s Prince Group which froze 146 entities.
British authorities seized more than $172 million in assets, while U.S. prosecutors confiscated $15 billion in Bitcoin linked to the conglomerate and its executives, accused of running modern slavery-based scam operations targeting victims worldwide.
Am Sam Ath, operations director of rights group Licadho, welcomed the establishment of the task force, calling it a necessary for Cambodia amid intense international criticism over scam activities, which affected tourism, investment, and social order.
He told CamboJA News that the country must use this opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to preventing and combating transnational crime, cybercrime, and human trafficking, particularly through increased cooperation with neighboring and regional countries.
“To build trust and show determination to tackle transnational crime and cybercrime, Cambodia must eliminate corruption and enforce the law effectively by being transparent about the results of cooperation,” he said.
