“Be Careful When Traveling to This Country”: Where Kidnappings and Detentions of Koreans More Than Doubled

[Financial News] Incidents involving Koreans in major countries under travel advisories rose by nearly 50% in a year. Incidents directly affecting personal safety—including kidnappings and detentions, loss of contact, and suspected missing-person cases—surged, prompting calls for particular caution.
According to data obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korean National Police Agency by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Jun-hwan on the 25th, incidents involving Koreans rose sharply in the 10 countries that had issued travel advisories most frequently over the past five years. The number of such incidents in these countries surged 48.3%, from 2,708 in 2024 to 4,016 last year.
The 10 countries are Russia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cambodia, Thailand, China, El Salvador, Mexico, Lebanon, Iran, and Laos. By type, cases involving loss of contact increased the most, rising by 369 from 248 in 2024 to 617 last year. Cases involving lost belongings also rose 47.9%, from 730 to 1,080.
Over the same period, kidnapping and detention cases more than doubled, from 246 to 553, while suspected missing-person cases surged about 4.8-fold, from 39 to 188.
By country, China had the highest number of incidents involving Koreans, rising from 1,133 in 2024 to 1,580 last year. The number also increased in Thailand, from 755 to 1,101, and in Cambodia, from 348 to 917.
In Cambodia, the increase amounted to 569 incidents, accounting for 43.5% of the total increase of 1,308 across all 10 countries. In particular, kidnapping and detention cases more than doubled, from 221 to 510, while suspected missing-person cases (from 9 to 170) and loss-of-contact cases (from 52 to 124) also surged, with a sharp rise in incidents directly affecting travelers’ safety.
Since its establishment at a local police headquarters in Cambodia last December, the Korea-Cambodia Joint Task Force for Koreans has rescued eight Koreans from criminal compounds and arrested 107 people, including members of scam operations. The task force is jointly staffed by seven Korean police officers and 12 Cambodian police officers.
Last July, after receiving a family’s report that a Korean was being held captive in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, authorities coordinated with the overseas mission, rescued the victim, and arrested two suspects.
Rep. Kim Jun-hwan said, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korean National Police Agency must do their utmost to protect citizens when they need consular assistance,” and urged, “Anyone planning to travel abroad should be sure to check the Overseas Safe Travel website before departure.”
[email protected] Kim Hee-sun Reporter