By Yonhap News Agency and The Korea Times
Seoul – Lawlessness, assaults, torture and deaths are commonplace in Cambodia’s notorious criminal compounds, witnesses and their acquaintances told Yonhap News Agency on today (Oct. 14), amid numerous reports of South Koreans being victimised by online scammers operating in the Southeast Asian country.
Testimonies have also surfaced that about one victim dies daily from torture and assaults in the Cambodian criminal camps, called “Wenchi.”
Some of the victims are sold to organised crime syndicates operating in Cambodia’s border towns, such as Poipet and Bavet, and have their organs removed when they can no longer work or have no money to extort.
According to the interviews with the witnesses who had worked for Cambodian crime rings, torture, such as pulling out fingernails or cutting off fingers, is carried out in their compounds and human trafficking, where victims are sold to other camps for money, frequently occurs.
Cambodia’s criminal camps vary greatly in size, committing various online scam operations, such as romance scams, voice phishing and unlisted stock trading. One official estimates that there are approximately 400 such criminal rings in Cambodia.
“There are two reasons why South Koreans are needed in the crime rings. One is bank accounts are needed to launder their criminal proceeds. The other is to engage in fraudulent telemarketing, chatting and customer service targeting South Koreans,” one witness said.
“Not all regions in Cambodia are the same. Unlike Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, border towns like Poipet and Bavet are among the most dangerous and the last places people are sent to.”
A Korean resident in Cambodia agreed, saying, “People who perform poorly in Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville, or run into debt at a casino, are sold to Poipet or Bavet. There are a lot of people like that.”
Regarding a South Korean college student who was reportedly tortured to death near Bokor Mountain in Kampot Province in August, the resident said, “People usually go there to sell their bank accounts. But they get trapped there and end up doing illegal things or even losing their lives.”
He went on to say assault and torture deaths are commonplace in the crime compounds.
“It’s not uncommon for people to die from assault. About one person dies every day. It’s not just South Koreans who are targeted. There are also people of various nationalities, including Vietnamese, Indonesian, Malaysian and Chinese.”
Another witness said that some victims accused of poor performance are sold for organ trafficking after being assaulted.
“If victims go into debt and fail to produce a certain performance, they are forced to sell their organs. They first have their eyeballs removed because corneas are relatively easy to transplant and their unit price is quite expensive,” the witness said.
Meanwhile presidential spokesman Kim Nam-joon said President Lee Jae Myung expressed a firm resolve to address the Cambodian case during a Cabinet meeting today. At the session, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the National Police Agency briefed the president on the situation and outlined their plans to respond to job scams and unlawful confinement cases involving Koreans in Cambodia.
“On Wednesday, Oct. 15, the Korean government will send a joint task force team to Cambodia, led by the second vice foreign minister and joined by officials from the National Police Agency and the National Intelligence Service,” Kim said during a press briefing at the presidential office. “To prevent additional incidents, the government is considering raising travel advisories for high-risk areas in Cambodia.”
Kim added that the government is reviewing repatriation arrangements with Cambodian authorities, planning to send additional police officers and preparing a joint investigation into the recent murder of a Korean university student in the country.
The president stressed that protecting victims and swiftly repatriating those involved must be the government’s highest priorities, instructing ministries to mobilise all available measures and resources immediately to ensure the safety of Korean nationals.
“Right now, the top priority must be to protect the victims and bring back those involved promptly to Korea,” Lee said in his opening remarks at the Cabinet meeting. “I ask the relevant ministries to verify the identities of the missing swiftly, and to implement all possible measures immediately to ensure their safety.”
Citing official data on recent employment scams and confinement crimes in Cambodia, the president noted that “many individuals from different countries have been arrested, and it appears that Korea ranks around fifth or sixth among them,” adding that “many citizens are deeply concerned about their children or neighbours who may have fallen victim to these crimes.”
“The government’s most important duty is to protect the lives and safety of the people,” he underscored.
CAPTIONS:
Top: A boy plays near a building, where people trafficked under false pretenses are forced to work in online scams targeting people all over the world, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. Photo: AP /Heng Sinith and published by Yahoo!News
First insert:This photo provided by a reader shows a man whose hands are believed to be tied to an iron bed in a Cambodian criminal compound. Photo – Yonhap (Not for sale)
Second insert: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, today, Oct. 14, 2025 . Photo – Joint Press Corps and published by The Korea Times
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