Seoul [South Korea], October 19: Police in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, have arrested the leader of a recruitment scam ring as part of an investigation into the brutal murder of a Korean student in Cambodia.
North Gyeongsang Provincial Police (South Korea) said on October 18 that they had arrested a suspect in his 20s, known as A, who was the leader of a recruitment ring that tricked victims into going abroad for light work with high salaries, according to Chosun Biz . A was accused of tricking student Park Min-ho (22 years old) to leave Korea for Cambodia .
According to the investigation, in July, A was introduced to student Park by a man named Hong (in his 20s, working as a bank account broker under the name of a borrower). Hong then opened a bank account under Park's name and lured the male student to Cambodia.
On July 17, Park went to Cambodia as instructed by the criminal group and was found dead three weeks later (August 8) in a car near Bokor Mountain in Kampot province.
Following the incident, police arrested Hong for investigation and forwarded the case to prosecutors. Hong is accused of violating the Electronic Financial Transactions Act. Police are continuing to clarify how Park was taken abroad and plan to request an official arrest warrant for A.
Park's body is currently at a temple in Cambodia. According to the South Korean government's joint response team, an autopsy may take place between October 20 and 21, after which the body will be cremated and returned to Korea.
Cambodian Interior Ministry spokesman Touch Sokhak said the case raised concerns about the rise of transnational cybercrime and the safety of foreigners in Cambodia.
Previously, Cambodian police also arrested two Chinese citizens - Li Zhimeng (35 years old) and Su Renxi (43 years old) - who are believed to be involved in the murder of student Park. The third suspect, Ba Jia, is still on the run.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet expressed condolences to the South Korean student and pledged to step up the crackdown on online fraud.
In a related development, 64 South Korean nationals detained in Cambodia for alleged online fraud were repatriated on October 18. Most of them will be investigated as suspects, according to Yonhap.
"Through this trip, we reaffirmed the Cambodian government's willingness to cooperate and reached an agreement to strengthen bilateral cooperation by establishing a joint response task force against such crimes," said South Korean Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Ji-na, who leads Seoul's joint response team sent to Cambodia to tackle online scams.
"The government will make efforts to establish an effective system to eradicate online fraud crimes in Cambodia targeting Koreans and actively use this system," Kim said.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
