This article is by Moon Sang-hyeok and read by an artificial voice.



Prosecutors have requested arrest warrants for 58 of the 64 Koreans repatriated from Cambodia on Saturday over alleged involvement in organized fraud operations, authorities said on Monday.

The police had initially sought warrants for 59 of the returnees. The prosecution rejected one request but moved forward with the rest, effectively releasing five suspects. One individual had already been arrested upon arrival due to a previously issued warrant.

The National Office of Investigation under the National Police Agency said most of the suspects played major roles in large-scale scams, including stock fraud chat room, voice phishing and no-show schemes that ran from late 2024 to July 2025.

The South Chungcheong Police Agency, which is handling 45 suspects - the largest group - requested warrants for all of them. The Northern Gyeonggi Police Agency, which handled 15 suspects, applied for arrest warrants for 11 individuals accused of being involved in so-called "romance scams" between March and April. One suspect had already been arrested and was transferred to the Busan District Prosecutors' Office.



Additionally, individual warrant requests were made by the Seodaemun Police Precinct in Seoul, the Daejeon Police Agency and the Gimpo Police Precinct in Gyeonggi.

The only suspect whose warrant request was rejected had been investigated by the Seodaemun police. He is accused of providing his personal bank account to a fraudulent investment advisory ring, thereby violating the Electronic Financial Transactions Act. Police determined that he played more than a minor role and pursued a warrant accordingly.

However, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office rejected the request, citing the circumstances surrounding his departure from Korea, his limited involvement and the fact that he had been detained and later repatriated after contacting the local Korean embassy in Cambodia for help.



Police say they are reviewing the possibility of reapplying for a warrant, pending further investigation.

In response to a growing number of kidnapping and missing person reports linked to Cambodia, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on Monday that it will launch a task force dedicated to investigating cases involving overseas Korean nationals.

Commissioner Park Jeong-bo said during a regular press briefing that the new task force, led by the head of the violent crimes unit of the Seoul metropolitan investigation division, will comprise 44 officers, including two cybercrime teams.



"The idea is for local precincts to conduct initial assessments, and if a criminal element is suspected, the case will be referred to the task force," Park explained.

According to Seoul police, 38 Cambodia-related reports have been filed. Fourteen of them were found not to involve criminal activity, while 22 remain under investigation.

A dedicated team within the agency's metropolitan investigation unit has also been assigned to look into the Prince Group, a Cambodian conglomerate founded by Chen Zhi of China's Fujian Province, over alleged links to criminal compounds in the country.

"We are analyzing intelligence related to the group," Park said. "If evidence of criminal activity emerges, we will launch a full investigation."

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.