Phnom penh: Cambodia has detained three Chinese men on charges of murder and online fraud related to a South Korean student's kidnapping, torture, and death after being entangled in an online scam operation. Police are continuing to search for two other suspects, according to the Phnom Penh Post.
According to Anadolu Agency, the prosecutor's office stated that the three men were charged after the body of 22-year-old Park Min-ho was discovered tortured and beaten in a pickup truck in Cambodia in August. An autopsy indicated that Park died of a heart attack due to the torture. These developments were revealed after South Korea's presidential office announced that they will dispatch a joint response team to Cambodia to handle crimes targeting South Koreans amid rising cases of job scams following Park's case.
The response emerged after President Lee Jae Myung instructed ministries during a Cabinet meeting to mobilize "all available resources" to ensure the safe return of South Koreans kidnapped in Cambodia in connection with job scams. South Korean Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Ji-na is set to lead the team departing Wednesday, alongside officials from the National Police Agency (NPA) and the National Intelligence Service, as noted by the presidential spokesman Kim Nam-joon.
The head of the National Office of Investigation at the NPA, Park Sung-joo, will coordinate with Cambodian authorities on repatriating the detained South Koreans and discuss a joint investigation into the student's death. Those repatriated will also be investigated for any potential involvement in criminal activity upon their return. As of Tuesday, 63 South Koreans were being held by Cambodian authorities, with Kim asserting that the government is committed to bringing back all citizens, even those unwilling to return. The two nations will also collaborate to address scam crimes.
President Lee also pressed the government to "implement all available resources to promptly, accurately and decisively respond to this problem." He emphasized the need for "related ministries to accelerate the establishment of a regular communication channel between the law enforcement authorities of the two countries through consultations with the Cambodian government" during the meeting.