South Korea to reform consular system to help victims of Cambodia scam gangs

South Korea’s Foreign Minister, Cho Hyun, announced on Monday (October 20) that the ministry will carry out a major reform of its consular services, including the recruitment of 40 specialised officers, amid a surge in the number of South Koreans falling victim to online scam operations in Cambodia.

The ministry also plans to launch an early warning system in Southeast Asia to better assist South Korean citizens affected by crimes or emergencies abroad.

Cho said the ministry would coordinate with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the recruitment plan, though details of the timeline have yet to be finalised. He clarified that not all 40 recruits would be stationed overseas; some would remain at headquarters to provide operational support.

The proposed alert system will issue notifications for high-risk areas, making use of existing resources such as the 24-hour consular call centre and overseas missions.

“Previously, consular assistance only began after someone contacted the embassy following an incident. We are now trying to expand our operations so we can detect and respond before such incidents occur,” Cho said.

The announcement comes as South Korean officials face growing challenges in assisting nationals victimised by online scam networks in Cambodia, which are believed to have affected up to 1,000 people.

The ministry added that it continues to cooperate with Cambodian authorities to locate 80 missing South Koreans, suspected of being trafficked by criminal organisations.

Cho also revealed that Cambodian police recently arrested 10 South Koreans suspected of involvement in online scams last Thursday (October 16) and rescued two others who reported being held captive by scammers. 

All 12 are expected to be repatriated to Seoul within the week, following the earlier return of 64 South Korean suspects on Saturday (October 18).

The Seoul government has avoided measures that could provoke diplomatic tensions with Cambodia, despite some lawmakers calling for the suspension of aid projects.

A ministry official said that military intervention could raise sovereignty concerns, and cutting Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds would not be appropriate for national dignity. I

nstead, Seoul plans to leverage its ODA projects in Cambodia to strengthen the capacity of local police through training programmes and equipment support, aimed at improving law enforcement and crime response in the future.