A group of 73 South Koreans detained in Cambodia over alleged online scam operations returned home on January 23 to face investigations. They are accused of swindling 48.6 billion won from 869 South Korean victims, marking the nation's largest repatriation of criminal suspects from a single country.
A group of 73 South Koreans detained in Cambodia over alleged involvement in online scam operations was forcibly returned home on Friday, January 23, to face investigations. A chartered Korean Air flight departed from Phnom Penh and arrived at Incheon International Airport at 9:41 a.m., marking the nation's largest repatriation of criminal suspects from a single country. The suspects were immediately placed under custody upon boarding the plane with court-issued warrants and will be transferred to local police stations nationwide for further probes.
They are accused of swindling a total of 48.6 billion won ($33.1 million) from 869 South Korean victims, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Among them, 70 face charges of participating in online fraud activities, such as romance scams, while the remaining three are charged with robbery by hostage and gambling. Included is a couple accused of swindling 12 billion won from 104 people through romance scams using deep fake technology; they had undergone plastic surgery to evade authorities before their detention.
One suspect is accused of fleeing to Cambodia and engaging in scams after allegedly committing a sexual crime against a minor, while another is suspected of keeping a victim hostage at a criminal compound and extorting money from their family. The joint investigation team raided seven scam criminal compounds in the Southeast Asian nation, including sites in Sihanoukville, Poipet, and Mondulkiri Province, to round up the suspects. Authorities rescued men in their 20s who had been detained and tortured at the compounds.
The joint government operation involved the National Police Agency, the justice ministry, the National Intelligence Service, and the foreign ministry.
