Cambodian officials and tourism specialists have urged the government of South Korean to separate instances of crime by scam gangs and their associates from crimes against holiday makers and tourists to Cambodia. This follows recent diplomatic pressure from Korean President Lee Jae Myung, in the wake of the death of a South Korean man with links to a scam operation.
The Korean Herald media outlet reported on October 12 that the president had called for officials to “go all out in terms of diplomacy to safeguard South Koreans from crimes in Cambodia”.
The 22-year-old man’s body was discovered in Kampot province in August, after he reportedly travelled to Cambodia on the promise of a highly paid job. Three Chinese men were in custody within three days of the discovery of his body.
The report added that the South Korean foreign ministry was seeking the Cambodian government’s cooperation to take additional measures to safeguard Korean nationals in Cambodia.
According to the outlet, Seoul urged its citizens to postpone or cancel travel plans. Tellingly, they also warned South Koreans to be wary of fake job advertisements in Cambodia that promise unrealistically high salaries. They noted that some victims have fallen prey to abduction by scam gangs.
Seam Sokkheng, president of the Korean Tourist Guide Association in Cambodia, told The Post that Cambodia poses no dangers for regular visitors, let alone Koreans, as the incidents that occurred involved people who had links to scam operations.
He noted that this month, he escorted South Korean tourists around the Kingdom on a ten-day tour, and his guests had repeatedly told him that Cambodia is safe, although they acknowledged that they had heard about scams before they arrived.
“Those who fall victim are not those who come to visit. They might have applied online for illegal jobs and then got cheated or extorted for money in some way. For the last ten days, I led a travel group, and they said there was nothing bad about Cambodia. They even shared their concerns with us before coming,” he said.
“Unfortunately, those who fell victim travelled here to meet with people they had been in contact with online, not as regular tourists. We feel sorry that the Korean leader did not differentiate between scam operations and tourism,” he added.
Sokkheng urged the Korean leaderships to make more effort to educate their citizens to understand online scam tactics, including the promise of high-paying jobs, and how to avoid becoming scam victims.
“It is a sad thing that they generalised the Cambodian situation this way. I have welcomed many Korean tourists; they are happy and said Cambodia is safe and secure; they didn’t see any risk. There is a clear distinction between visiting for tourism and being lured by an online scam to find illegal jobs,” he said.
Kin Phea, director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, agreed, suggesting that the Korean government should advise its people before they travel abroad to all countries, and not single Cambodia out.
“All countries, including South Korea and Cambodia, should advise their citizens to be on high alert when traveling abroad to avoid falling victim to scams,” he said.
“The Korean leader’s diplomatic pressure helps nothing; instead, it makes the relationship between the two countries unhealthy. They should join hands to combat these crimes because they are borderless crimes. Only cooperation at the regional and international levels can prevent them. It is not just happening in Cambodia,” he added.
Phea urged Cambodian authorities to continue their commitment to combat these kinds of crimes, as scams, torture, kidnapping and in some cases, death, affect Cambodia’s reputation and tourism.
“And no one will be pleased to visit our country if we are not secure and peaceful. That’s why we need to restore our reputation so we can welcome all visitors,” he added.
Touch Sokhak, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, told The Post that cases involving online scams against South Korean nationals are not isolated, while some countries experience even more serious crimes than Cambodia.
He believed the case of the Korean man’s death should not be used to cause turmoil in Cambodia-South Korea relations, as it was the result of an intertwined criminal network.
“If these crimes affect our relations, then it presents an opportunity for international organized crime to flourish. Having said that, I don’t mean that we reject their cooperation or diplomatic relations. We understand their feeling when their citizen is a victim. What we want is their understanding that Cambodia too, was a victim of this crime,” he said.
“Cambodian people have also experienced danger in other countries due to online scams. What we should do is to increase the advice we give people, so they understand the tactics of online criminals, such as the lure of high-paying jobs in other countries,” he added.
He noted that Cambodia welcomes international cooperation through all means, such as information sharing and technical support.
According to Sokhak, Cambodia has placed online scam alerts at all major international access points, and has never provided shelter for such crimes.
