South Korean found dead in Cambodian scam compound, signs of torture reported
Cambodian police said the body was found Thursday in Kampot province, inside a large dumpster alongside another victim. South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed one of the dead as a Korean national surnamed Park.
The ministry said it immediately requested a full investigation from Cambodian authorities and is providing consular support to Park's family, although officials noted that "confirming further details has been difficult."
What happened to Park appears bound up in the shadowy world of cybercrime compounds. The site where his body was discovered is one of dozens of massive operations in Cambodia reportedly run by Chinese organized crime groups. These compounds, often sealed off and heavily guarded, are infamous for voice phishing and fraudulent investment scams.
Park is believed to have been held inside before being killed by the gang.
The description of his body paints a grim picture. Local investigators reported extensive bruising and bloodstains, with swelling that suggests he endured sustained violence.
The brutality echoes accounts from survivors of these scam compounds. One 28-year-old South Korean man who recently escaped told South Korean media, 'Chinese gang members will kill someone easily if money is involved.' He described beatings, electric shock and waterboarding as routine.
Amnesty International estimates that more than 50 such scam compounds operate across Cambodia. Rights groups and local media alike describe them as places where national law enforcement has little reach, functioning almost as self-contained criminal enclaves.
Local reports suspect that an unspecified number of South Koreans may be trapped inside these compounds, deceived by job postings advertising 'high-paying overseas employment' only to find themselves trafficked into forced labor once they have arrived.
Data obtained by the office of Rep. Kim Geon from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows that the number of South Koreans reported kidnapped or detained in Cambodia rose from 21 in 2023 to 221 in 2024. In the first half of 2025 alone, officials estimate 212 cases, suggesting this year's total could reach double last year's figure.
Despite the scale of the crisis, South Korea has struggled to intervene. Officials acknowledge that Cambodian scam compounds often operate beyond effective state control and that Seoul lacks investigative authority on the ground.
At present only one South Korean police officer is stationed at the embassy in Phnom Penh. Victims who contact the embassy are advised to report directly to Cambodian police, as the embassy cannot carry out rescue missions or investigations on its own.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
17 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Over 9,200 cyberattacks hit South Korean military in 6 months
South Korea's military said it repelled more than 9,200 hacking attempts in the first six months of the year, up about 45 percent from the same period a year earlier, with most believed to be from North Korea. A total of 9,262 cyberattacks targeted the South Korean military from January to June in 2025, according to data provided to The Korea Herald Sunday by the office of Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition People Power Party. Specifically, 9,193 attempts were made to breach the military's official homepages, while the remaining 69 were cyber intrusion attempts through email hacking. No malicious code attacks were detected during the period, according to the data. The South Korean military said 'all cyberattacks were blocked and that no damage was inflicted,' Yu's office explained. The total number of attempted breaches — including homepage intrusions, malicious code and email hacking — was tallied at 6,146 in the first half of 2021, 4,943 in 2022, 6,805 in 2023, and 6,401 in 2024. This year's cyber attacks targeting the South Korean military surged, up 44.7 percent compared to the corresponding period last year. South Korea's Cyber Operations Command informed Yu's office that many of the attacks were attributed to North Korea. 'We cannot precisely identify the actors behind the cyber intrusion attempts, but it is presumed that the majority were conducted by North Korea in light of correlations between the countries where the routing IP addresses are located and the IPs used for intrusion attempts,' the command said without further details. 'The military is maintaining a firm cyber readiness posture by advancing its response system,' it added. Yu underscored that the 'fact that cyber intrusions targeting our military's internet network marked an all-time high is actually a grave warning sign.' 'Only one intrusion of the military network can cause fatal damage to the command-and-control system as well as critical information assets,' Yu said. 'Therefore, the military authorities should raise awareness through maintenance of the security and control system, regular exercises simulating cyber intrusions, and strengthening security education for military officers, and should come up with effective countermeasures,' he added. Yu called for the South Korean government to actively revise the law, including the establishment of a control tower for cybersecurity under the direct supervision of President Lee Jae Myung, to respond to advanced and sophisticated cyber threats at the pan-government level. Though fewer in number, attacks against military-adjacent companies have increased as well. The number of cyberattacks on South Korean defense industry companies reported to the military surged in 2024, according to data provided by Yu's office. The reported cases of cyberattacks were five in 2021, two in 2022, four in 2023, and 16 in 2024. However, Yu's office noted there are limitations in identifying the total number of cyber breach attempts on defense contractors, since they manage their systems independently under South Korea's Defense Technology Security Act. Article 13 of the act stipulates that the head of a targeted institution 'shall establish and operate a defense technology security system in order to protect defense technology.'
Korea Herald
17 hours ago
- Korea Herald
South Korean found dead in Cambodian scam compound, signs of torture reported
The body of a South Korean man has been discovered in an alleged Cambodian scam compound, wrapped in blankets and plastic bags, his face swollen and bruised, indicating he may have been beaten to death. Cambodian police said the body was found Thursday in Kampot province, inside a large dumpster alongside another victim. South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed one of the dead as a Korean national surnamed Park. The ministry said it immediately requested a full investigation from Cambodian authorities and is providing consular support to Park's family, although officials noted that "confirming further details has been difficult." What happened to Park appears bound up in the shadowy world of cybercrime compounds. The site where his body was discovered is one of dozens of massive operations in Cambodia reportedly run by Chinese organized crime groups. These compounds, often sealed off and heavily guarded, are infamous for voice phishing and fraudulent investment scams. Park is believed to have been held inside before being killed by the gang. The description of his body paints a grim picture. Local investigators reported extensive bruising and bloodstains, with swelling that suggests he endured sustained violence. The brutality echoes accounts from survivors of these scam compounds. One 28-year-old South Korean man who recently escaped told South Korean media, 'Chinese gang members will kill someone easily if money is involved.' He described beatings, electric shock and waterboarding as routine. Amnesty International estimates that more than 50 such scam compounds operate across Cambodia. Rights groups and local media alike describe them as places where national law enforcement has little reach, functioning almost as self-contained criminal enclaves. Local reports suspect that an unspecified number of South Koreans may be trapped inside these compounds, deceived by job postings advertising 'high-paying overseas employment' only to find themselves trafficked into forced labor once they have arrived. Data obtained by the office of Rep. Kim Geon from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows that the number of South Koreans reported kidnapped or detained in Cambodia rose from 21 in 2023 to 221 in 2024. In the first half of 2025 alone, officials estimate 212 cases, suggesting this year's total could reach double last year's figure. Despite the scale of the crisis, South Korea has struggled to intervene. Officials acknowledge that Cambodian scam compounds often operate beyond effective state control and that Seoul lacks investigative authority on the ground. At present only one South Korean police officer is stationed at the embassy in Phnom Penh. Victims who contact the embassy are advised to report directly to Cambodian police, as the embassy cannot carry out rescue missions or investigations on its own.
Korea Herald
19 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Former pro-democracy Hong Kong lawmaker granted asylum in Australia
SYDNEY (AFP) -- Former pro-democracy Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui who is wanted by the Chinese city has been granted asylum in Australia, he said in a social media post, calling on Canberra to do more for those who remain jailed. The former British colony -- handed back to China in 1997 -- has seen dissent quashed since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law following huge and at times violent democracy protests that erupted in 2019. Hui, a high-profile participant at the time who has since resettled in Adelaide, said the Australian government had granted him a protection visa this week, with asylum also extending to his wife, children and parents. "I express my sincere gratitude to the Government of Australia -- both present and former -- for recognizing our need for asylum and granting us this protection," he said in a Facebook post on Saturday. A vocal critic of Hong Kong and Beijing authorities, Hui is among several overseas activists targeted in 2023 by police bounties of HK$1 million each. The bounties, which have previously drawn strong criticism from Western countries, are seen as largely symbolic given that they affect people living abroad in nations unlikely to extradite political activists to Hong Kong or China. In this Facebook post, Hui urged the Australian government not to forget other Hong Kong activists who remained jailed, including tycoon Jimmy Lai, who has been behind bars since 2020. "Australia must do more to rescue them and to speak up for their humanity," Hui said. "Its stance matters internationally, and its protection of Hongkongers sets a precedent for other democracies." He added that he and his family will "give back to Australia in every way we can -- through our work, our civic engagement, and our commitment to the values of democracy and freedom." While Hong Kong's government did not comment directly on Hui's case, a spokesperson said Saturday those who absconded should not think they could evade "criminal liability." "Any country that harbors Hong Kong criminals in any form shows contempt for the rule of law, grossly disrespects Hong Kong's legal systems and barbarically interferes in the affairs of Hong Kong," the spokesperson said. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has previously objected Hong Kong's arrest warrants and bounties. "Freedom of expression and assembly are essential to our democracy," she said last month on social media. "We have consistently expressed our strong objections to China and Hong Kong on the broad and extraterritorial application of Hong Kong's national security legislation, and we will continue to do so."
