PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — South Korea's foreign minister met Monday with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Mane, continuing pressure to crack down on growing large-scale online scams that have been blamed for the brutal death of a Korean student.
Hun Mane said on social media that he had met with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, but did not reveal details of their talks in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.
Seoul's Foreign Ministry said last week that Cho's visit would include discussions on cooperation in eradicating fraud-related crimes in Cambodia and the creation of a joint police task force on the issue. Cho plans to leave Tuesday.
The efforts follow the death of 22-year-old Park Min-ho, who was reportedly lured to Cambodia and forced to work at a scam center before his body was discovered tortured and beaten in August. His death sparked outrage in South Korea, prompting the government to send a delegation to Phnom Penh for urgent talks.
There has been a sharp increase in the number of online scams in recent years, many of which are based in Southeast Asian countries. Thousands of people, many of them kidnapped or defrauded, have been forced to work in protected areas under threat of violence.
The UN and other agencies estimate that cyber fraud earns international crime groups billions of dollars each year. Cybercriminals feign friendship or advertise fictitious investment opportunities to deceive targets around the world.
According to South Korean officials, the scam centers in Cambodia employ about 200,000 people, including 1,000 South Koreans.
Last month, 64 South Koreans detained by Cambodian police were repatriated on a charter flight. About 50 of them were arrested soon after their arrival on charges of involvement in online fraud.
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Associated Press video journalist Jerry Harmer in Bangkok contributed to this report.
