President Lee Jae Myung on Oct. 11 ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make an "all-out response" to the rise of abductions and detentions of Koreans in Cambodia. Shown is him speaking at the 12th meeting of his senior secretaries and advisers. (Office of the President)

By Kang Gahui

President Lee Jae Myung on Oct. 11 ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to respond with "all-out measures" to the rise of abductions and detentions of Koreans in Cambodia.

"The President recently received a report on crimes in Cambodia and ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make every diplomatic effort to protect our people," a source from the Office of the President said. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is reviewing methods to secure the Cambodian government's cooperation.

The ministry said the number of reported abductions of Koreans in Cambodia shot up from 10-20 between 2022 and 2023 to 220 last year and 330 as of August this year. Most of the victims were deceived by promises of high-paying jobs abroad by criminal organizations that kidnapped them.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun that day summoned Cambodian Ambassador to Seoul Khuon Phon Rattanak to express strong concern over crimes targeting Koreans in the latter's country.

As of Oct. 10 at 9 p.m., the ministry upgraded its travel alert level for the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh from 2 (highly cautious) to 2.5 (special travel advisory).

In addition, the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) on Oct. 12 announced a bilateral summit next week with its Cambodian counterpart at the hotel Conrad Seoul in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo-gu District on signing a memorandum of understanding to launch a Korean desk and deploy Korean police to the Southeast Asian nation.

The KNPA will also dispatch the head of the National Office of Investigation to Cambodia to check the situation there and boost investigative cooperation. It also plans joint operations against transnational crimes with global law enforcement organizations such as Interpol and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Chiefs of Police Conference.

kgh89@korea.kr