Many cases of people losing contact after traveling to Cambodia... Reports of missing persons surge, concerns spread across South Korea - South Korean media

Recently, there have been a series of cases where Korean men who departed for Southeast Asia, especially Cambodia, have lost contact, and there has been a sudden increase in missing persons reports in Gyeongsangnam-do and Gwangju.
According to statistics compiled by the Gyeongsangnam Provincial Police Agency, the number of Cambodia-related missing persons reported in the province this year has increased from 15 to 17, with two more cases added. Most of the missing persons are from
The men were in their 20s to 30s and were identified as former members from Gimhae, Haman, and Changwon. Ten of the cases were later confirmed and the reports were withdrawn, while the remaining
The seven cases have been confirmed through acquaintances or are being investigated through international cooperation. Meanwhile, the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency has also reported the deaths of two men who lost contact after departing for Southeast Asia.
The new case is a man in his 40s who left for Vietnam in May and has since been lost contact.
The two are Mr. B, a man in his 20s who departed for Cambodia in September. It was confirmed by phone that Mr. B is currently staying in Cambodia, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korean Embassy in Cambodia are currently checking.
A police official said, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested confirmation of the identity of a national living overseas," adding, "We are working closely with the National Police Agency's International Cooperation Office to do our utmost to identify his whereabouts."
As the number of disappearances and loss of contact continues to increase, mainly in Cambodia, experts have pointed out that it is highly likely that the individuals were recruited or held captive by criminal organizations.
Among the 17 reports, the agency revealed that "there are cases in which people are suspected to have been involved in phishing crimes and other crimes after traveling to Cambodia with the promise of high profits."
Furthermore, internal statistics from the South Korean National Police Agency show that since last year, hundreds of Koreans have been reported as abducted, held captive, or missing in Cambodia.
This incident has prompted South Korea to implement policies such as strengthening pre-entry consultations, expanding education to prevent similar incidents, and improving the speed of reporting missing persons.
The need for such a system has begun to be discussed. The National Police Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea have stated that they are "building a system that will automatically track the whereabouts of individuals who lose contact while abroad."