Record 73 scam suspects repatriated from Cambodia

Suspects accused of defrauding 869 Koreans of 48.6 billion won include deepfake scammer and fugitive who tried to change appearance with cosmetic surgery

South Koreans detained in Cambodia over alleged involvement in online scam operations are photographed after being apprehended by local authorities. (Yonhap)

Seventy-three South Koreans accused of scam crimes and sexual exploitation in Cambodia arrived in Incheon at 9:41 a.m. on Friday, marking the largest overseas transfer of South Korean criminal suspects.

The suspects were repatriated aboard a Korean Air flight and were placed under arrest immediately after boarding at Phnom Penh Airport. Under South Korean law, detention warrants may be executed on national flag carriers, which are regarded as South Korean territory.

After landing, they were taken to police stations across the country for questioning.

Police escort South Korean criminal suspects at Incheon Airport after their repatriation from Cambodia on Friday. (Yonhap)

The Presidential Office of Cheong Wa Dae said those repatriated on Friday are accused of swindling a combined 48.6 billion won ($33 million) from 869 South Korean victims.

Friday’s mass repatriation broke the country’s own record for such transfers, previously set in October when it forcibly repatriated 64 nationals detained in Cambodia over alleged online scam activities.

Seventy of the 73 suspects who returned Friday are linked to online fraud schemes, including romance scams and fake investment schemes conducted via private messaging platforms. The remaining three face charges such as hostage taking, robbery and illegal gambling.

Among the suspects are those accused of using deepfake technology to pose as fictitious personas, swindling about 12 billion won from 104 victims, as well as others who posed as investment experts to defraud young adults and retirees of roughly 19.4 billion won.

Some of them reportedly fled to Cambodia after committing sexual crimes against minors, while others allegedly detained victims for scam operations and extorted money from their families in Korea.

South Korean police officers wait at Phnom Penh Airport in Cambodia on Thursday near a Korean Air flight set to repatriate 73 South Koreans accused of scam crimes and sexual exploitation. (Yonhap)

Authorities said one suspect had been on the run after changing his appearance through cosmetic surgery before being arrested.

The mass repatriation came after the South Korean government vowed to step up its response to criminals and scam networks operating from outside the country to target South Koreans. That heightened scrutiny follows the case of a college student who was tortured to death by a criminal ring in Cambodia in August 2025.

The case put a spotlight on the increasing number of South Koreans deceived by high-paying job offers in Cambodia and later forced into online scam operations under confinement and violence.

In October, the government set up a pan-governmental task force to tackle transnational crime and, later that month, repatriated 64 Koreans from Cambodia.

Korean members of a criminal organization accused of carrying out scams and other crimes in Cambodia board a flight to be repatriated to South Korea on Thursday at Phnom Penh Airport. (Yonhap)

"Allowing serious criminals to remain overseas could send a misleading message that authorities are effectively turning a blind eye to fugitives, while also heightening concerns about repeat offenses," said presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung.

“The government will maintain a firm response until overseas scam networks targeting South Koreans are completely stamped out."