South Korean president orders task force to remove illegal job ads linked to Southeast Asia
President Lee Jae Myung orders swift removal of illegal job ads targeting Southeast Asia after reports of human trafficking in Cambodia
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday (October 17) ordered officials to immediately crack down on illegal online job advertisements linked to Southeast Asian countries following reports of human trafficking in Cambodia.
Lee Kyu-yeon, the presidential secretary for public affairs and communications, said at a press briefing at the presidential office in Yongsan that President Lee instructed the Korea Communications Commission, the Korea Communications Standards Commission, and the National Police Agency to urgently remove such advertisements.
“The president made this decision amid concerns that as crackdowns intensify in Cambodia, illegal job recruiters may shift their operations to other Southeast Asian nations,” Lee said.
President Lee added that South Korean authorities would closely monitor websites and social media platforms for illegal recruitment ads posted or shared across major online platforms and portals.
The government has also established a dedicated task force to coordinate efforts and form a joint advisory body with platforms such as Naver, Kakao, and Google, which will begin independently screening illegal posts.
While the number of illegal job ads has not yet been compiled, the president emphasised that authorities are working swiftly to remove clearly visible posts and will begin collecting related data once the task force’s operations are fully underway.
