A South Korean parliamentarian delegation, led by opposition MP Kim Seok-ki, observed a raid on a suspected online scam centre in Phnom Penh yesterday in which a large number of foreigners, most of them Korean, were discovered. The Korean MPs were given the opportunity to assess the situation and the evidence seized, and informed that the South Koreans appeared to be working of their own volition.
The October 22 raid, in Preypopel village of the capital’s Samrong Krom commune, in Por Senchey district, saw 86 foreign nationals, including 5 women. 57 South Koreans and 29 Chinese were taken into custody.
The Secretariat of the Committee for Combating Technology Crimes (CCTC) reported that during the operation, the authorities seized 126 computers and 30 mobile phones.
Police officers showed the delegation the evidence they had seized, as well as the results of forensic analysis on electronic items.
“After receiving this information and personally inspecting the crime scene, the delegation of Korean MPs were informed that the Koreans were not detained or coerced by anyone; they committed the illegal activities on their own,” said the CCTC.
According to the secretariat, representatives of the Korean delegation requested that Cambodian authorities continue to crack down on criminals, while rescuing any Korean nationals who are coerced into committing these crimes.
Kim stated that he would share his findings, to prevent any misunderstandings about Cambodia’s involvement in the issue of online scams. He also committed to ongoing cooperation with the Kingdom’s authorities to combat technology-based scam crimes, according to the CCTC.
