Foreign ministry fails to take steps even after learning of job scam crimes in Cambodia: audit agency

SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Yonhap) -- The foreign ministry failed to raise the travel alert for Cambodia or take other necessary measures in a timely manner, even though it had been aware that job scams targeting South Koreans were worsening in the Southeast Asian nation, the state audit agency said Thursday.

Such crimes sparked public outrage last year after a South Korean college student was tortured to death by a Chinese scam ring in Cambodia, shedding light on a series of similar cases where young South Koreans were lured into the country with promises of high-paying jobs only to end up being kidnapped.

According to the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), the foreign ministry learned after December 2023 through information from overseas diplomatic missions and private firms that South Koreans were falling victim to job scams and kidnapping in Cambodia, with the nature of the crimes becoming increasingly brutal.

South Korea's Embassy in Cambodia repeatedly suggested to the ministry in April and July 2024 that the travel alert for the country be raised, but the ministry did not do so, citing that the situation fell short of the criteria for a special travel alert or other reasons.

It was only after media outlets reported on these crimes in August that the ministry sought to upgrade the travel alert. The alert was ultimately raised in September only after the student's death became public, according to the audit agency.

The BAI also point out that the ministry should have considered activating a task force for the protection of Korean nationals abroad, yet it failed to even hold a meeting on the matter.

The audit agency advised the ministry to take disciplinary measures against three ministry officials for failing to take necessary measures in time, officials said.