[Exclusive] Passport invalidations nearly triple in three years, reaching 778 cases in the first half of this year alone

[Financial News] As the number of criminals fleeing overseas shows little sign of declining, the number of cases in which the government invalidated their passports has nearly tripled in three years. Cambodia, which until a few years ago was rarely sought out by fugitives, has rapidly replaced China as a destination and is now the top escape destination, attracting roughly two out of every five fugitives.
According to data submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to Kim Jun-hwan, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker on the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee of the National Assembly, the number of passport invalidations for violations of the Passport Act rose 2.8-fold in three years, from 424 cases in 2023 to 863 in 2024 and 1,184 last year. In the first half of this year alone, from January through June, 778 passports were invalidated, suggesting that the figure will surpass last year's record by the end of the year.
Under Articles 12 and 13 of the Passport Act, MOFA may invalidate valid passports held by overseas residents who have been indicted for crimes punishable by imprisonment for two years or more, as well as those whose prosecution or investigation has been suspended—limited to cases in which the suspect is suspended—or for whom an arrest or detention warrant has been issued, in connection with crimes punishable by imprisonment for three years or more.
Data that Kim obtained from the Korean National Police Agency show that the number of criminals newly fleeing overseas surged from 512 in 2023 to 1,249 last year, reaching 853 in the first half of this year alone. As escape destinations have shifted from China to Southeast Asia, Cambodia has emerged as the clear focus. Of the 853 criminals who fled overseas in the first half of this year, 349, or 40.9%, headed to Cambodia, making it the leading destination. China followed with 133, or 15.6%, while Vietnam ranked third with 102, or 12.0%. In 2023, just three years ago, Cambodia was the destination for only 21 of the 512 fugitives, or 4.1%. At the time, China ranked first with 155, or 30.3%, followed by the Philippines with 98, or 19.1%, and Vietnam with 63, or 12.3%.
In recent months, there have been a series of arrests and extraditions involving large-scale voice-phishing organizations based in Cambodia. The Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office, Hongseong Branch indicted 53 people in custody last November on charges including fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes. The group was a roughly 200-member organization operating in a criminal compound in Phnom Penh’s Wench area, and the 53 included 46 people extradited to South Korea. In July, the Cheonan Branch of the Daejeon District Court sentenced all of them to prison terms, with damages totaling 39.3 billion won and sentences of up to 11 years. In April, the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency also coordinated with a local “Korea Task Force” in Cambodia and referred 57 members to prosecutors in custody on charges of fraud under the same act. 
[email protected] Kim Dong-gyu, Lee Dong-hyeok Reporter