South Korea to raise Cambodia scam crisis at ASEAN Summit

South Korea plans to make the growing issue of online scams in Cambodia a key agenda item at the upcoming ASEAN Summit later this month, in a bid to rally regional cooperation to combat transnational crime.

According to National Security Office Director Wi Sung-lac, the administration of President Lee Jae Myung is considering bringing the matter to the ASEAN Summit, which will be held in Malaysia at the end of October.

“The ASEAN Summit will serve as an opportunity to establish a cooperative framework, including joint investigations with law enforcement agencies of ASEAN member states,” Wi said. He added that Seoul is reviewing the possibility of including a multilateral collaboration plan to tackle organised crime in Cambodia as part of the official agenda.

“This is an important issue involving multiple countries, and it would be far more effective if discussed in a multilateral setting,” he said, noting that international organisations such as the United Nations (UN) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) could also hold similar discussions.

The national security chief stressed the need for joint action, saying that the surge in online scams across Southeast Asia has evolved into a form of organised crime, involving an estimated 200,000 people worldwide.

“To eradicate these crimes at their root, close cooperation is essential — not only with Cambodia but also with its neighbouring and related countries,” Wi said.

The move marks South Korea’s latest effort to tackle the rapid rise in criminal cases involving South Korean victims in Cambodia, many of whom have been lured by false high-paying job offers and subsequently subjected to kidnapping, confinement, and abuse.