South Korea repatriates 73 online scam suspects from Cambodia in massive crackdown

South Korea repatriated its largest-ever group of criminal suspects from abroad on January 23, 2026. The 73 individuals were among some 260 South Koreans detained in recent crackdowns on online scam operations in Cambodia – a hub for the criminal scam industry. Seoul has intensified efforts to capture overseas scammers following the August 2025 case of a South Korean student who was lured to Cambodia by fake employment offers, forced into a scam compound, and tortured to death.