By Diplomacy Journal Lee Gil-ju

Park Il, the Seoul government representative for the protection of overseas Koreans in Cambodia, visited Sihanoukville, a major hotspot for online scams in Cambodia, on November 27.

He met with Police Chief Sar Ratha and Governor Mang Sineth to discuss responses to online scams and cooperation measures against Korean nationals. He was also accompanied by Korean police officers from the "Korea-Cambodia Joint Task Force for Korean Nationals" (abbreviated as the "Korea Task Force").

Park stated that the Korean government is paying particular attention to the ongoing incidents involving Korean nationals in Sihanoukville and requested active cooperation from the Sihanoukville police authorities, from initial response measures such as on-site dispatch and investigation to measures such as victim protection and repatriation of those involved.

Representative Park also expressed his belief that the "Korea Task Force" will become much more effective in responding to online scams now that it is fully operational, and urged active utilization of this mechanism.

Police Chief Sar Rata stated that Sihanoukville police are sternly responding to online scams through intensive crackdowns and other measures, and added that they will work closely with the Korean Embassy and the "Korea Task Force" in the event of incidents involving Korean nationals.