Suspected scam boss linked to South Korean student’s brutal killing arrested in Thailand
The arrest follows international outrage over the killing of the university student, which led to a joint Thai–South Korean investigation
“In close cooperation with Thai authorities, we arrested Han Mo, 42, a Chinese national on [January 7] in Pattaya, Thailand. He is suspected of involvement in the murder of a South Korean university student,” the South Korean Ministry of Justice, police and intelligence agency said in a joint statement on Friday, according to The Chosun Daily.
64 South Korean scam suspects repatriated from Cambodia
The 22-year-old student, surnamed Park, was found dead in a car near Bokor Mountain in Cambodia’s Kampot province on August 8, last year. An autopsy concluded that he had suffered beatings and torture before dying from blunt force trauma.
Park’s murder came weeks after he had flown to Cambodia to take up what was reported to be a part-time job, and intensified scrutiny of scam compounds operating in the country.
Such compounds have been linked to organised crime networks that lure foreign nationals with promises of legitimate work, then detain them and force them to carry out online fraud.
South Korean, Thai and Cambodian authorities later formed a joint task force to dismantle the rings.
In October, Cambodian police arrested three Chinese nationals suspected of involvement in Park’s killing.