A group of 59 South Koreans detained in Cambodia for alleged involvement in online scams have been repatriated in handcuffs.
The group arrived at Incheon Airport on Saturday morning, several days after South Korea sent a team to Cambodia to discuss scam centre kidnappings of its nationals.
They are among around 200,000 people estimated by the UN to have been drawn into scamming schemes across Southeast Asia, some lured by the appeal of well-paying jobs and others forced to participate.
Officials made the journey to Cambodia following reports that a South Korean student involved in a scamming scheme had allegedly died after being tortured, according to Reuters news agency.
Another five South Koreans have also been deported for other criminal offences.
The majority of the group were arrested during a crackdown by Cambodian authorities, while five reportedly turned themselves in and escaped the network, BBC Korea has reported.
From the airport, they will now be taken to the relevant police stations for investigation.
The individuals were arrested on board the chartered flight shortly after boarding, the official said, according to Agence France-Presse.
Under South Korean law, a national carrier’s aircraft is considered Korean territory, allowing law enforcement to execute arrest warrants.
South Korean National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac had said that the members of the repatriated group had both “voluntary and involuntary” involvement in the scams.
“Most of them should be regarded as having committed criminal acts, Wi said.
Their return has taken place alongside high-level diplomacy over cyber crime.
In a post on social media, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said he had met with a South Korean official to discuss “combatting transnational crimes, particularly online scams”.
“Cambodia and the Republic of Korea will continue to strengthen our collaboration to prevent, suppress, and combat online scams more effectively,” he wrote.
The return of the group also follows a crackdown by the US government on a Cambodian business empire alleged to be running a crypto scam earlier this week, that saw the seizure of over $14bn (£10.5bn) in bitcoin.
Crypto fraud is just one of the several types of scam schemes run from centres in the region, with some overseeing romance fraud or ‘love scams’, which involve scammers posing as lovers online to steal money.
The UN estimates that the centres generate billions of dollars in revenue for criminal groups each year.
By BBC News
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