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Joint Korea-Cambodia police unit arrests six Interpol red notice fugitives, dozens others since launch

Published: 18 Feb. 2026, 15:33 Updated: 18 Feb. 2026, 19:07

Korean nationals detained in Cambodia over alleged involvement in scam operations arrive at Incheon International Airport through a chartered flight for investigation on Jan. 23. [YONHAP]

A joint Korea-Cambodia police unit has arrested six Interpol red notice fugitives and dozens of suspected online scammers in a series of operations, authorities announced Wednesday.

The unit, known as the “Korea Desk,” detained the six fugitives between Dec. 22 last year and Feb. 10, according to the National Police Agency. Since its launch in November, the task force has arrested 140 suspects linked to online scam operations.

Police said close intelligence-sharing between the two countries played a decisive role.

On Feb. 6, officers captured a senior member of a scam ring accused of swindling 8.4 billion won ($5.8 million). Investigators from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Interpol team tracked the suspect to a hotel. Korean and Cambodian officers then sealed off escape routes around the building and arrested him.

Two days earlier, authorities apprehended another alleged manager of a scam network. Officials said real-time location data shared through Korean police liaisons in Cambodia allowed officers to chase the suspect about 500 meters before taking him into custody.

On Feb. 10, the unit arrested a key suspect in an investment fraud scheme that caused losses of 10.6 billion won. Investigators from both countries jointly analyzed closed-circuit television footage to track and detain the suspect.

Those arrested are accused of overseeing scam operations while hiding in Cambodia for an average of nearly two years. Among them are two alleged ringleaders and a Korean national accused of heading money-laundering operations at a Cambodian crime complex known as the Taizi compound, located in the south of Phnom Penh.

Korean law enforcement including officials from the National Intelligence Service are seen during a crackdown on a criminal ring that conducted scams on Koreans in Thailand on Jan. 8, in this photo provided by the National Police Agency and unrelated to the story. [NATIONAL POLICE AGENCY]

“The six Interpol red notice fugitives recently arrested were managerial-level figures within criminal organizations,” the National Police Agency said. “Their arrests have disrupted the core operations of these scam networks.”

The Korea Desk operates under a broader transnational crime task force launched in November. The interagency group has carried out 12 operations so far since the Korea Desk’s launch last November, rescuing four Korean nationals and arresting 140 scam suspects.

The task force was formed at the direction of President Lee Jae Myung to coordinate the government’s response to overseas crimes targeting Koreans, including drug trafficking, online scams and illegal gambling. Ten agencies are joining hands for this task force, including the police, the Justice Ministry, the National Intelligence Service and the Foreign Ministry.

Lee Jae-young from the National Police Agency said authorities are monitoring the possibility that criminal groups may relocate or alter operations to evade crackdowns.

“We will continue to strengthen international cooperation and track down criminals who harm our citizens to hold them accountable,” Lee said.

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.
BY KWAK JOO-YOUNG [[email protected]]