73 South Koreans repatriated from Cambodia face probe over online scams involvement

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Associated PressJanuary 23, 2026 at 10:50 AM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

Seventy-three South Koreans were repatriated from Cambodia on Friday to face investigation for allegedly running online scams. The suspects, 65 men and eight women, are accused of defrauding other South Koreans of approximately 48.6 billion won (US$33 million). They were apprehended during a crackdown in Cambodia targeting scam operations. Upon arrival at Incheon Airport, the suspects were taken into police custody. The repatriation follows public outrage over scam centers in Southeast Asia, heightened by the death of a South Korean student in Cambodia last year, allegedly due to forced labor and torture at a scam compound.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Incheon Airport 50% Yoo Seung Ryul 60% Police ×260% South Korean Government ×270% Cambodia ×680% South Korea ×790%

Keywords

online scams 100% south korea 90% cambodia 80% repatriation 70% police investigation 60% criminal suspects 60% financial crime 50% scam centers 50% fraud 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

South Korea

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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online scams south korea cambodia repatriation police investigation criminal suspects financial crime scam centers fraud

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