October 23, 2025
SEOUL – South Korea’s National Intelligence Service identified the suspect behind the murder of a Korean university student in a Cambodian scam compound as an accomplice in a high-profile drug distribution case in Seoul’s Daechi-dong in 2023, according to lawmakers briefed by the agency.
According to Rep. Park Sun-won of the Democratic Party of Korea and Rep. Lee Seong-kweun of the People Power Party on Wednesday, the NIS revealed its findings related to the case during a closed-door session of the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee earlier the same day.
The lawmakers told reporters that the NIS had obtained its first lead on the case surrounding the Korean student’s murder within three days of the student’s death and confirmed the suspect’s identity within eight days by mobilizing its full intelligence capabilities.
The suspect, who is currently still on the run, is being tracked by the NIS in coordination with Cambodian authorities.
The NIS believes the suspect worked with a man identified as “Remo,” who is detained in Cambodia and was an alleged accomplice in a drug distribution case in Seoul’s Daechi-dong in 2023. The case involved Chinese nationals and local accomplices distributing methamphetamine-laced drinks — falsely marketed as “focus enhancers” — to teenagers in Gangnam’s education district.
According to Park, the NIS also reported that some 1,000 to 2,000 Koreans are believed to have been involved in romance scam operations in Cambodia. According to Cambodian police data shared by the NIS, of the 3,075 scam suspects arrested between June and July this year, 57 were Korean nationals.
Around 50 scam compounds are estimated to be located in cities such as Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, holding an estimated 200,000 criminals and generating up to $12.5 billion annually — nearly half of Cambodia’s gross domestic product.
Some zones are also reportedly controlled by nongovernmental armed groups, while others are located in special economic zones, making enforcement difficult and complicating international cooperation.
In addition to concerns over challenges in legal enforcement, local media in Cambodia reported that members of scam syndicates were fleeing compounds in Sihanoukville and moving into neighboring countries — raising fears that efforts to rescue hundreds of Korean nationals held captive could become far more difficult.
Surveillance footage reported by local media showed scam syndicate members loading equipment, such as phones and computers, onto large buses and vans in an apparent attempt to flee the country.
Such groups are expected to be heading toward Laos, which borders Cambodia, or further north toward Myanmar. In both countries, scam compounds are reported to be already well-established with weaker law enforcement.
Employment scams of a similar nature to those in Cambodia have also been reported in both countries, according to data revealed by Rep. Kim Geon of the People Power Party. Laos and Myanmar logged 28 reports and 3 reports related to employment scams in 2024, respectively.
The National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee also continued its parliamentary audits Wednesday at the Korean Embassy in Cambodia, joined by officials from embassies in Vietnam, Thailand and Laos. Lawmakers questioned the Korean mission in Phnom Penh on whether they had faithfully responded to the scam-related crimes involving South Koreans over the recent surge in abductions and detentions by scam syndicates in the country and neighboring countries.
During the audit, the acting Ambassador of South Korea to Cambodia, Kim Hyung-soo, stated that approximately 100 reports of kidnappings or illegal detentions of Korean nationals remained unresolved in the country over the past two years.
Between 2023 and August 2025, Kim stated that a total of 550 cases had been reported to the embassy, with around 450 successfully resolved so far.
“There were fewer than 20 cases reported in 2023, but the number surged to 220 last year and further jumped to 330 as of August this year,” said Kim.
South Korean authorities estimate that around 1,000 Koreans remain forcibly detained in Cambodian scam compounds, with around 80 individuals currently unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, North Gyeongsang Province revealed Wednesday that it has suspended all official development assistance projects it planned to conduct or was conducting in Cambodia in response to the recent controversies. The university student who was tortured to death and whose cremated remains were returned on Tuesday was from the province.
The provincial government had initially allocated 750 million won ($524,000) in 2024 for supporting agriculture-related development projects in Cambodia. The province had long maintained close development cooperation with the Southeast Asian country in rural infrastructure and safety equipment.