Police Repatriate Two Major Fugitives, Including Cambodian Scam Group Member, to Korea

[Financial News] Two major fugitives apprehended in Vietnam—including a man who illegally posted domestic and international copyrighted works about 15,000 times and a member of a romance scam group based in the Kingdom of Cambodia—have been forcibly repatriated to Korea following an international joint investigation led by the KNPA.
The KNPA announced on the 27th that two major fugitives in Vietnam—Suspect A, a man in his 40s who illegally uploaded domestic and international movies, dramas, and web novels a total of 15,863 times, and Suspect B, a man in his 30s who operated as a member of a romance scam group based in the Kingdom of Cambodia—were simultaneously repatriated to Korea via Incheon International Airport that morning.
Suspect A is accused of using macro programs from 2020 to 2024 to upload copyrighted content, including domestic and international movies, dramas, and web novels, a total of 15,863 times to 17 different webhard sites without authorization.
In June, the KNPA selected this case as part of the 'Stop Online Piracy Project (I-SOP)', a joint initiative with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST). I-SOP is an international investigative framework established in 2021 through collaboration between the KNPA, MCST, and INTERPOL to actively respond to copyright infringement of K-content.
The KNPA has strengthened cooperation by sharing the case with Vietnamese INTERPOL at the '2025 International Copyright Protection Cooperation Conference.' At the request of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, an INTERPOL Red Notice was issued for the suspect, who was then listed as a target for international fugitive apprehension and repatriation. As a result, the Vietnamese police arrested suspect A in Khanh Hoa Province on the 6th of last month for illegal stay.
Suspect B, who was repatriated on the same day, is accused of collaborating with 65 accomplices from last year to this year, operating out of the Kingdom of Cambodia, impersonating women on social media to approach victims, and inducing them to invest in products, thereby defrauding 192 people of approximately 4.6 billion KRW.
To prevent the spread of scam crimes originating from the Kingdom of Cambodia to neighboring countries, the KNPA held a strategic meeting with police attachés from five Southeast Asian countries and sent official letters under the acting Commissioner General’s name to each national police agency, thereby strengthening the response system. As a result, on the 28th of last month, five scam group members, including suspect B, were apprehended in various regions of Vietnam.
Suspect B had previously operated as a romance scam group member based in Bavet, Kingdom of Cambodia, but after crackdowns intensified there, he illegally crossed into Vietnam by land last month.
Considering the scale and severity of the suspects’ crimes, the KNPA coordinated the timing and method of repatriation with the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Ho Chi Minh City and the Vietnamese police to ensure swift extradition. In particular, after close consultation with the MCST, which participates in the I-SOP fund, a joint repatriation team was formed by the KNPA and MCST, enabling both suspects to be brought back to Korea simultaneously.
Lee Jaeyoung, Director of International Cooperation at the KNPA, stated, "Organized copyright infringement and romance scam crimes committed overseas are serious offenses that directly harm our citizens. We will relentlessly pursue and bring offenders to justice." He added, "We will continue to strengthen cooperation with relevant agencies such as the MCST and INTERPOL to eradicate transnational crime and enhance the system for repatriating overseas fugitives."

welcome@fnnews.com Jang Yu-ha Reporter