Phnom Penh/Seoul, Oct 22 (IANS) Around 100 reported cases of South Korean nationals abducted or confined in Cambodia remain unresolved, the South Korean Embassy in Cambodia told lawmakers Wednesday.
The Embassy unveiled the figure during an on-site parliamentary audit in Phnom Penh amid growing concerns about crimes targetting South Koreans in the Southeast Asian country, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The number of reports of South Korean nationals being abducted or confined in the country fell short of 20 in 2023, but sharply rose to 220 in 2024 and had reached 330 as of August this year, according to the Embassy.
“Of the 550 cases reported in the past two years, 450 of them have been resolved,” it said, indicating that around 100 people remain missing.
Lawmakers of the parliamentary foreign affairs and unification committee urged thorough measures to tackle crimes targeting South Koreans during the audit.
On Tuesday, South Korean Foreign Ministry said it held a meeting with the South Korean Embassy in Cambodia to check the situation concerning South Korean nationals in Cambodia’s online job scams.
The meeting, led by Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina, came as Seoul has stepped up to tackle the crime targeting South Koreans in the Southeast Asian country, amid growing concerns over cases in which many Koreans have either participated or fallen victims.
Kim instructed the Korean Embassy in Cambodia to continue consultations with Cambodian authorities on operational procedures for a bilateral joint task force, agreed upon between the two countries last week.
She also stressed the need to provide swift and proactive consular assistance to protect South Korean citizens in Cambodia, while pledging support to ease the embassy’s workload through temporary personnel increases and an additional budget.
Park Il, leading the Embassy in Phnom Penh as the de facto head of the mission, said he will work to establish a system to provide consistent support for South Korean victims and to boost prevention and response efforts for Koreans in the country, the ministry said.
–IANS
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