Korean authorities said they seeking to formally arrest 58 of the 64 South Koreans repatriated from Cambodia for allegedly working for online scam organizations in Cambodia. The 64 South Koreans were detained in Cambodia over the past several months and were flown to Korea on a charter flight Saturday. Online scams, many based in Southeast Asian nations, have risen sharply since the COVID-19 pandemic and produced two sets of victims: the tens of thousands of people who have been forced to work as scammers under the threat of violence, and the targets of their fraud. Korean police said Monday that prosecutors have asked courts to issue arrest warrants for 58 of the 64 returnees, while five were set free.
