The recent crime surge in Cambodia, especially against Korean nationals, has prompted concern regarding the safety of said nationals and the relationship between Cambodia and South Korea. Even in South Korea, differences in opinion in addressing the issue have caused division in the government, potentially hindering efforts to address the issue and safeguard Korean nationals.
The crime surge has been the result of increased activity of organized scam centers engaged in online fraud. These scam networks began to gain momentum in the middle of 2024 and have continued to increase in 2025. Major crimes, especially against Koreans, have focused on kidnappings, torture, coercion into the fraud industry, trafficking, and forced detention. In addition to these, more crimes targeted at tourists and foreigners have increased in urban areas, with higher crime rates being reported in 2025 than in the previous year.
“I think it is quite concerning.” Selina Lee (10), a travel enthusiast, said. “I want to know that the country that I am going to is safe for me to be in. If my safety is not guaranteed, then I cannot be sure if I really want to visit that country.”
A similar concern grows in South Korea, with the government taking action to protect Korean nationals, namely issuing a “code-black” travel ban to part of Cambodia on Oct. 15. According to officials, a “code-black” is the most serious ban on travel with orders for citizens in the area to leave immediately. The Poipet and Kampot regions, located in West and South Cambodia, were primary targets of the bans. However several other regions, such as Sihanoukville were labelled as potentially dangerous, with any nationals currently in the region being issued advisory notices to evacuate.
However, a growing concern rises on managing the safety of Korean citizens in Cambodia. Government parties, mainly the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and People Power Party (PPP), express different views on not only the potential solutions to the matter, but also opinions on the causation and who to blame for the issue.
“I personally think that our government should improve our efforts to improve the safety of our people.” Jaemin Kim (10), Korean citizen and political enthusiast, said. “We should prioritize getting those who have experienced crime back home safely and take all necessary measures to do so.”
The DPK, the current ruling party of the government, emphasized the protection of victims and government responsibility. They established a team responsible for handling the safety of Korean nationals overseas in response to the violence against Koreans in Cambodia and sent them to Cambodia to investigate the situation. The team consulted with Cambodian politicians to set up a desk for Korean nationals in Cambodia and to repatriate Korean nationals involved with the crimes to be tried in Korea.
On the other hand, the PPP, the previous ruling party, emphasizes the involvement of Chinese crime syndicates in the crimes against Korean nationals. According to PPP officials, many of the scam centers are operated by Chinese organizations and networks. Therefore, the party urged for negotiations with not only the Cambodian government, but also the Chinese government. They emphasized the upcoming APEC summit as a ground for negotiating terms with the Chinese government on the alleged crimes against Korean nationals, also criticizing the “incompetence” and “irresponsibility” of the DPK in handling these affairs.
The DPK responded by accusing the previous administration under Yoon Suk-yeol of causing the issue due to the lack of interest in the safety of foreign nationals. They also mentioned that despite increasing aid efforts that the previous administration had put into Cambodia, their ties with lobbyist groups hampered these efforts.
The issue continues to be a significant concern for Korean nationals abroad and until a proper conclusion is reached with both parties of the government, the safety of Koreans may not be guaranteed, especially in high crime regions such as Cambodia. SIS’s annual trip to Cambodia was canceled this year and the group involved in the trip will run similar activities and volunteer work at rural schools in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
“We’ve had a long standing relationship with the Cambodian schools.” Phoebe Borst, supervisor of SIS’s 2024 Cambodia trip, said. “Its quite a big shift that we are unable to go the Cambodia this year. While I am no longer the supervisor, it’s unfortunate that we cannot volunteer at the schools.”
