January 9, 2026
SEOUL – A 42-year-old Chinese national believed to be the ringleader of a scam operation linked to the torture killing of a South Korean college student last year has been arrested in Pattaya, Thailand, South Korean authorities said Thursday.
The suspect, identified only by the surname Ham, was apprehended Wednesday with the cooperation of Thai authorities, according to a joint statement from South Korea’s Ministry of Justice, National Police Agency and National Intelligence Service.
Ham is suspected of conspiring with accomplices from South Korea and China to run a criminal group that lured Korean victims to Cambodia for exploitation between May and July last year, authorities said.
The case is tied to the August death of a 22-year-old South Korean college student, surnamed Park, who was found dead after being subjected to prolonged torture near Bokor Mountain in Cambodia — an area known for compounds where foreign nationals are often illegally confined and made to assist in phone and online scams.
Korean and Cambodian officials in November caught suspects surnamed Li and Kim, who are thought to have tortured Park to death.
It was found that Park may have died just one day before Korean and Cambodian officials’ Aug. 9 raid on the criminal organization complex in the country that rescued 14 Koreans.
One of the rescued victims said he was held by the same group that kidnapped Park, adding that Park had trouble breathing because of his injuries when he was last seen.
“The suspect (Ham) is accused of having Li and Kim brutally torture Park, so it was crucial to apprehend him as soon as possible for investigation of this crime and to find out about the exact nature of the crime ring,” officials said.
The Justice Ministry said it learned from the National Intelligence Service that Ham had entered Thailand in November 2025, and sought cooperation from Thai authorities to arrest him.
The ministry vowed to cooperate with related organizations to track down any suspects related to Park’s death, both domestic and international, and have them repatriated to Korea.