Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung ordered the foreign ministry Saturday to take all-out diplomatic measures in response to a series of crimes in Cambodia targeting South Korean nationals, including cases of job scam and unlawful confinement, his office said.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee issued the instruction after receiving a recent report on crimes involving the people in Cambodia, an official of the presidential office said. “The ministry has taken various steps, including securing cooperation from the Cambodian government, and will take additional measures if necessary,” the official added.
A string of online scams, detentions, and torture cases targeting South Koreans in the Southeast Asian country has sparked public outrage and growing concern at home. In a tragic case, a South Korean university student died in August after being allegedly tortured by a local crime ring.
On Friday, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun summoned the Cambodian ambassador to Seoul, expressed strong concern and urged the Cambodian government to actively devise countermeasures. The ministry also upgraded its travel advisory for Phnom Penh, previously the Level 2 “Exercise Caution” alert, to a special travel advisory.