SEOUL — Dozens of South Koreans allegedly involved in online scams in Cambodia were returned to South Korea on Friday to face investigations in one of the largest group repatriation of Korean criminal suspects from abroad.The 73 South Korean suspects allegedly scammed fellow Koreans out of 48.6 billion won (US$33 million), according to a South Korean government statement.Upon arrival in South Korea’s Incheon Airport aboard a chartered plane, the suspects – 65 men and eight women – were sent to police stations. Local TV footage showed the suspects, in handcuffs and wearing masks, being escorted by police officers and boarding buses.They were among about 260 South Koreans detained in a crackdown in Cambodia in recent months.”It’s a big mistake if you think you can evade punishment if you commit a crime outside the country,” a South Korean police official told a briefing at the airport.”We will pursue crimes that harm our citizens to the end and demand that they take responsibility.”A foreign ministry official told the briefing that South Korea would continue to cooperate with Cambodia “until transnational scam crimes were eradicated”.The return of the group follows a joint investigation by both nations, a spokesperson for the Korean presidential office, Kang Yu-jung, told a separate briefing on Thursday.Investigators uncovered seven scam centres, where the suspects are accused of defrauding 869 South Koreans of 49 billion won ($33 million) online, Kang said.Public outrage over scam centres in Southeast Asia flared in the country when a South Korean student was found dead last year after reportedly being forced to work at a scam compound in Cambodia.Authorities said at the time he died after being tortured and beaten, and South Korea sent a government delegation to Cambodia in October for talks on a joint response. — AgenciesSEOUL — Dozens of South Koreans allegedly involved in online scams in Cambodia were returned to South Korea on Friday to face investigations in one of the largest group repatriation of Korean criminal suspects from abroad.The 73 South Korean suspects allegedly scammed fellow Koreans out of 48.6 billion won (US$33 million), according to a South Korean government statement.Upon arrival in South Korea’s Incheon Airport aboard a chartered plane, the suspects – 65 men and eight women – were sent to police stations. Local TV footage showed the suspects, in handcuffs and wearing masks, being escorted by police officers and boarding buses.They were among about 260 South Koreans detained in a crackdown in Cambodia in recent months.”It’s a big mistake if you think you can evade punishment if you commit a crime outside the country,” a South Korean police official told a briefing at the airport.”We will pursue crimes that harm our citizens to the end and demand that they take responsibility.”A foreign ministry official told the briefing that South Korea would continue to cooperate with Cambodia “until transnational scam crimes were eradicated”.The return of the group follows a joint investigation by both nations, a spokesperson for the Korean presidential office, Kang Yu-jung, told a separate briefing on Thursday.Investigators uncovered seven scam centres, where the suspects are accused of defrauding 869 South Koreans of 49 billion won ($33 million) online, Kang said.Public outrage over scam centres in Southeast Asia flared in the country when a South Korean student was found dead last year after reportedly being forced to work at a scam compound in Cambodia.Authorities said at the time he died after being tortured and beaten, and South Korea sent a government delegation to Cambodia in October for talks on a joint response. — Agencies
South Korea repatriates scam suspects from Cambodia in online fraud probe
