In Cambodia, 741 South Koreans have fallen victim to employment scams, kidnappings, and confinement over the past three years. However, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs determined that these incidents did not constitute a "national crisis or overseas disaster," failing to convene a meeting for a government-wide response. The elevation of the travel advisory was also delayed for nearly two years due to misjudgment of the criteria and repeated internal consultations.
On November 5, the Audit Office released the findings of its investigation into the operational status of overseas citizen protection at diplomatic missions.
The audit revealed a sharp increase in the number of South Koreans victimized by employment scams and kidnappings in Cambodia, rising from 17 in 2023 to 220 in 2024, and reaching 504 last year. In August 2023, a South Korean university student died after being tortured by local criminals.
According to the Audit Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the South Korean Embassy in Cambodia recognized the escalating violence as early as December 2023 but postponed raising the travel advisory.
In April 2024, the embassy proposed issuing a special travel advisory, but the ministry deemed employment scams to be a "constant risk," thus not meeting the criteria for an advisory. When the embassy raised the need for an advisory again in July, no action was taken due to the failure to submit the required adjustment form.
In September 2024, a suggestion was made for a pre-explanation to the Cambodian government, which was not part of the regulations. The embassy postponed the explanation due to the ASEAN summit, and the ministry accepted this, leading to another cancellation of the advisory elevation.
When the ministry attempted to raise the advisory in April last year, relevant departments expressed the need for careful consideration regarding the entire country, particularly the capital, Phnom Penh. This was interpreted by the responsible department as opposition to raising the advisory, halting the process.
Ultimately, the travel advisory was raised in September last year, nearly two years after the onset of employment scam incidents, and just a month after the student’s death was reported in the media.
The government-wide response system also failed to operate. Between December 2023 and September 2024, Cambodia saw a monthly average of 8 to 27 victims, totaling 161. In contrast, the ministry activated the Overseas Citizen Protection Headquarters during kidnapping incidents involving South Koreans in Peru in September 2024 and the Philippines in March last year.
However, regarding employment scams in Cambodia, the ministry did not consider it a national crisis or overseas disaster, failing even to hold a meeting to discuss activating the Overseas Citizen Protection Headquarters.
The Audit Office has requested minor disciplinary actions against three officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who neglected their duties in protecting overseas citizens. Additionally, one official from the South Korean Embassy in Cambodia, who did not actively propose raising the travel advisory, has been notified that their actions will be considered in future personnel evaluations.
Delays in adjusting travel advisories were not limited to Cambodia. An analysis by the Audit Office of 54 cases where travel advisories were adjusted based on requests from overseas missions between 2023 and October last year found that 16 cases took more than 15 days to adjust, with 9 cases exceeding 30 days.
There were also gaps in the division of roles between overseas missions and the Consular Safety Call Center. Of the 157,859 incidents reported in the past three years, 34.5%, or 54,474 cases, were directly received by overseas missions. Approximately 60% of these were minor issues that could have been handled by the call center through information guidance or interpretation.
The Audit Office has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to establish guidelines for the consultation process, methods, and deadlines for adjusting travel advisories. It also called for regular checks on the communication network between the Consular Safety Call Center and overseas missions, and for specific examples and manuals to be provided to the public regarding the scope of consular assistance.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it would review the issues raised by the Audit Office and work on measures to prevent recurrence and improve systems.
The ministry stated, "We will prepare necessary improvements for timely travel advisory issuance, clear role division between overseas missions and the Consular Safety Call Center, and clarification of the scope of consular assistance, while closely cooperating with relevant departments and overseas missions to ensure the protection of our citizens abroad."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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