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Cambodia to Repatriate 73 South Korean Online Scam Suspects
MLN -22 JAN 2026:Cambodia will send 73 South Korean nationals home this week to face investigation over alleged involvement in large-scale online scams, South Korean officials said Thursday, marking the largest repatriation of Korean criminal suspects from overseas.
The suspects are accused of defrauding fellow South Koreans of about 48.6 billion won, or roughly $33 million, according to a statement from the South Korean government. The group includes 65 men and eight women.
South Korea will dispatch a chartered aircraft to Cambodia, with the suspects scheduled to arrive Friday and be immediately transferred to investigative authorities, officials said.
The group was detained as part of a broader crackdown in Cambodia that has led to the arrest of about 260 South Koreans in recent months. Public concern in South Korea intensified last year after a South Korean student was found dead in Cambodia after allegedly being forced to work at an online scam compound, authorities said at the time. South Korea later sent a government delegation to Cambodia for talks on joint countermeasures.
According to South Korean officials, the repatriated suspects include a couple accused of operating a deepfake romance scam that allegedly defrauded about 100 victims of nearly 12 billion won through fake investment schemes.
The Justice Ministry said South Korea conducted more than 10 rounds of video consultations with Cambodian officials to secure the suspects’ return.
Online scam operations have expanded across parts of Southeast Asia, particularly in Cambodia and Myanmar, where trafficked foreign nationals are often forced to run romance and cryptocurrency scams after being lured with false job offers, according to international organizations.
The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that global scam losses ranged between $18 billion and $37 billion in 2023.
Since October, South Korea has repatriated about 130 scam suspects from Cambodia and more than 20 from Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines, police said. After Friday’s transfer, roughly 60 South Korean nationals are expected to remain detained in Cambodia awaiting repatriation.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday that transnational cybercrime undermines public trust and can strain diplomatic relations, calling for tougher international responses.
