Due to delays in government approval of ‘emergency support funds’… “People who died while waiting for support”
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Sang-hyeon = Despite the national safety being threatened by Cambodian employment fraud, an audit found that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not take timely measures, such as raising the travel warning or activating a countermeasures headquarters.
On the 5th, the Board of Audit and Inspection released the results of an audit of the operational status of overseas embassies, including the protection of Korean nationals living abroad, containing these details.
According to the Board of Audit and Inspection, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recognized that after December 2023, employment fraud and detention of Korean nationals will occur in Cambodia through data from overseas embassies and private companies, and the pattern is gradually becoming more brutal.
Accordingly, the Embassy in Cambodia repeatedly suggested raising the travel advisory in April and July of the following year, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters did not take action for reasons such as it did not meet the requirements for a special travel advisory or the embassy did not submit the travel advisory adjustment form.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs later pushed for an increase in the travel warning in August when the media reported the Cambodian employment fraud case. However, it postponed the adjustment due to confusion between departments and raised the travel warning only in September 2025, when reports of the death of a college student emerged.
The Board of Audit and Inspection pointed out that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should have reviewed the operation of the Overseas Citizens Protection Countermeasure Headquarters after September 2024, but did not even hold a related meeting.
Accordingly, the Board of Audit and Inspection notified the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take light disciplinary action against three employees who did not perform their duties in a timely manner, such as raising the travel warning and activating the countermeasures headquarters. In addition, details of the misconduct were conveyed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the then ambassador to Cambodia, who is now retired.
Separately, the Board of Audit and Inspection analyzed 54 cases of frequent travel warning adjustments based on suggestions from overseas diplomatic missions over the past three years, and added that adjustment took a significant amount of time, with seven cases taking 15 to 30 days and nine cases taking more than 30 days.
The audit also raised the need to improve the 'emergency support expense system', in which the government supports emergency medical expenses, repatriation expenses, and room and board expenses before repatriation in cases where it is difficult to bear the costs.
As a result of analyzing the time taken to obtain Ministry of Foreign Affairs approval for 127 approved cases out of 193 applications filed between 2021 and 2025, only 9 cases (7.1%) were approved within 1 week, and 94 cases (74.0%) took more than 1 month.
Mr. A, who suffered a burn in 2024 and applied for emergency support funds from the Embassy in Thailand, received 11 million won only after 64 days, and Mr. B, who requested emergency medical expenses and help returning home to the Consulate General in Shenyang in October last year, died in November while waiting for approval.
Mr. C had difficulty paying medical expenses in 2024, so he applied for support at the Indonesian Embassy, but the treatment could not proceed due to the waiting period not being settled, and he died.
It was found that the long time it takes for headquarters approval is because the review through the Korea Social Security Information Service takes an average of more than four weeks.
There is also a 'first application, then approval' procedure for overseas embassies, but it appears not to be actively utilized because the related budget is not separately allocated to the embassy. Some consuls applied with their own funds first, but were not able to receive compensation later.
In addition, the Board of Audit and Inspection pointed out that although it is appropriate for the consular safety call center to handle minor cases, many small cases are still being reported to the embassy due to the unclear role division with the embassy.
In addition, it was revealed that there were some cases where the delivery of cases was delayed due to communication failures between the embassy and the call center due to reasons such as poor local communication networks.
He added that while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs presents in principle without specific details the matters on which consular assistance is possible and impossible on its website, citizens frequently make requests outside the scope of consular assistance, such as resolving civil disputes.
