Seoul: South Korea has announced a travel ban on specific regions of Cambodia after reports emerged of its citizens being tortured by criminal groups. This move, reported by Yonhap news, comes after the South Korean Foreign Ministry imposed a Level 4 travel ban, the most severe in the country's travel warning system, on Cambodia's Bokor Mountain region in Kampot province, as well as the cities of Bavet and Poipet.

According to Anadolu Agency, the ministry has also issued a travel warning to South Korean nationals currently in Cambodia's Sihanoukville province, urging them to leave due to the high presence of criminals. The decision follows disturbing reports of South Koreans being kidnapped and detained in Cambodia after falling prey to fraudulent job schemes.

In a particularly alarming incident in August, a South Korean university student was found deceased near Bokor Mountain in Kampot province, having been tortured by criminals. Cambodian authorities have arrested three Chinese nationals in connection with the kidnapping, torture, and murder of the student, identified as 22-year-old Park Min-ho.

In a related development, local police reported that a South Korean woman was discovered dead on October 7 near the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Her body underwent an autopsy before being handed over to her family for cremation. South Korean police have launched an investigation into the incident.

In response to these events, South Korea's presidential office stated on Tuesday that a joint response team will be dispatched to Cambodia to address and combat crimes targeting South Koreans. A Foreign Ministry official also noted that as of Tuesday, approximately 80 South Koreans involved in job scams in Cambodia are missing or their safety is currently unverified.