A man working in Vietnam fled back to Korea just a day after his daughter was rescued after being kidnapped over his gambling debts, leaving her alone in Vietnam for another 10 days before she returned home.
The teenager was kidnapped by loan sharks in Hanoi on Aug. 15 and was taken hostage because her father had accumulated gambling debts there and failed to repay them, according to the JoongAng Ilbo on Tuesday. Her father was an employee of a Korean company's office in Vietnam.
After the teenager was kidnapped, her local tutor reported the case to the Korean Embassy in Hanoi. Embassy officials and Korean police officers dispatched to Vietnam worked with Vietnamese police to locate and rescue her the same day.
Six Korean police officers are stationed across Vietnam, including Hanoi, to assist in responding to crimes involving Korean nationals.
The father returned to Korea alone on Aug. 16 — the day after his daughter's rescue — out of fear for his own safety, leaving his daughter behind in Vietnam.
The teenager later returned to Korea on Aug. 26.
He was reportedly frightened because confinement and assault over gambling debts are common there. The teenager's mother was already in Korea, and her father's departure left her separated from her entire family for around 10 days.
Police and diplomatic authorities are looking into the father's gambling habits and the size of his debts before deciding whether to launch an investigation.
Similar cases occur frequently around casinos in Vietnam, and officials urge visitors to exercise caution.
Five members of Vietnamese and Chinese criminal rings were arrested by local police in September 2025 for illegally confining and assaulting two Chinese nationals over gambling debts, local media reported.
A photo shows Chinese and Vietnamese nationals detained in September 2025 on charges of illegally confining and assaulting two Chinese nationals.DA NANG POLICE
One of the Chinese nationals had exchanged 100,000 yuan ($14,900) for casino chips and lost them all. The person was then forced to sign a promissory note for 300,000 yuan, three times the original amount. The victim was also assaulted, leaving one molar broken.
The other Chinese national borrowed 300,000 yuan worth of casino chips to gamble. The person was forced to sign a promissory note for 500,000 yuan, about 167 percent of the principal.
After the two lost all their chips, they were subdued near the casino, forced into a vehicle and taken to an apartment in nearby Hoi An. The second victim's family also received a call demanding repayment of the 500,000 yuan along with 20,000 yuan in interest per day.
Korean diplomatic authorities in Southeast Asia have warned travelers about crimes linked to gambling.
An announcement posted on the Korean Embassy in the Philippines' website on Jan. 15 warns travelers about gambling-related risks and potential crimes.SCREEN CAPTURE
“Please be aware of cases in which people borrow money after putting up their passports as collateral due to excessive gambling, including at casinos, or become involved in disputes over confinement after failing to repay their debts,” the Korean Embassy in the Philippines said in an announcement in January. “There have also been cases in which people falsely tell their families that they have been confined and demand money even when no confinement has actually occurred.”
Habitual gamblers themselves can also face punishment under Korean law. Korea applies the nationality principle under its Criminal Act, meaning Korean nationals can be punished for conduct that violates Korean law even if it is legal in the country where it occurs. Habitual gambling, excluding gambling conducted merely as a temporary form of entertainment, is punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won ($14,600).
“Even if local hold'em facilities, or poker establishments, are properly licensed, there is a high risk that illegal activities may occur during their operation,” the Korean Consulate General in Da Nang said in an announcement in April. “In particular, activities that disguise gambling as poker tournaments and convert chips into cash or award prizes that can then be exchanged for cash may be illegal under both Korean and Vietnamese law.”
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.
