Seoul: Eighty South Koreans who were possible victims of fake jobs or scam centers were unaccounted for in Cambodia, South Korea’s foreign ministry told AFP Tuesday.
A foreign ministry official said that between January and August this year, 330 South Koreans were reported to have gone missing or been held against their will after entering Cambodia.
As of August, “The safety of about 80 people has yet to be verified,” a foreign ministry official told AFP.
The ministry added that they are cross-checking the figures with police data at home to avoid overlap.
While there were around 21 cases of kidnapping or confinement involving South Koreans in Cambodia in 2023, the figure jumped tenfold to 221 last year and further surged to fifteenfold as of August, lawmaker Yoon Hu-duk said in a parliamentary hearing.
The recent death of a Korean college student in Cambodia — reportedly kidnapped and tortured by a local crime ring — has shocked South Korea.
Many of the South Koreans are said to have been lured by fraudulent job offers promising high pay, according to the government.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that the recent kidnappings in Cambodia are causing “significant harm to South Koreans.”
“The numbers are not small, and many of our citizens are deeply concerned about their family members, friends, and neighbors who have been detained in Cambodia,” said Lee in a cabinet meeting.
“The government should immediately implement all available measures to ensure the safety of our citizens,” he added.
The Presidential office said that they will dispatch a joint response team to Cambodia on Wednesday, led by the second vice foreign minister.
Presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon also said the government is considering raising the travel advisory level for Cambodia.
80 South Koreans missing in Cambodia scam center row: Seoul
https://arab.news/gm44j
80 South Koreans missing in Cambodia scam center row: Seoul
- Many of the South Koreans are said to have been lured by fraudulent job offers promising high pay, according to the government
Trump accepts Nobel medal from Venezuelan opposition leader Machado
- Trump wrote: “Maria presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect“
- Machado said the gift was in recognition of what she called his commitment to the freedom of the Venezuelan people
WASHINGTON: Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gave her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump on Thursday during a White House meeting, in a bid to influence his efforts to shape her country’s political future.
A White House official confirmed that Trump intends to keep the medal.
In a social media post on Thursday evening, Trump wrote: “Maria presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you Maria!“
Machado, who described the meeting as “excellent,” said the gift was in recognition of what she called his commitment to the freedom of the Venezuelan people.
The White House later posted a photo of Trump and Machado with the president holding up a large, gold-colored frame displaying the medal. Accompanying text read, “To President Donald J. Trump In Gratitude for Your Extraordinary Leadership in Promoting Peace through Strength,” and labeled the gesture as a “Personal Symbol of Gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan People.”
Machado’s attempt to sway Trump came after he dismissed the idea of installing her as Venezuela’s leader to replace the deposed Nicolas Maduro.
Trump openly campaigned for the prize before Machado was awarded it last month and complained bitterly when he was snubbed.
Though Machado gave Trump the gold medal that honorees receive with the prize, the honor remains hers; the Norwegian Nobel Institute has said the prize cannot be transferred, shared or revoked.
Asked on Wednesday if he wanted Machado to give him the prize, Trump told Reuters: “No, I didn’t say that. She won the Nobel Peace Prize.”
The Republican president has long expressed interest in winning the prize and has at times linked it to diplomatic achievements.
The lunch meeting, which appeared to last slightly over an hour, marked the first time the two have met in person.
Machado then met with more than a dozen senators, both Republican and Democratic, on Capitol Hill, where she has generally found more enthusiastic allies.
During the visit, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had looked forward to meeting Machado, but stood by his “realistic” assessment that she did not currently have the support needed to lead the country in the short term.
Machado, who fled the South American nation in a daring seaborne escape in December, is competing for Trump’s ear with members of Venezuela’s government and seeking to ensure she has a role in governing the nation going forward. After the United States captured Maduro in a snatch-and-grab operation this month, opposition figures, members of Venezuela’s diaspora and politicians throughout the US and Latin America expressed hope for Venezuela to begin a process of democratization.
HOPES OF A MOVE TO DEMOCRACY
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, one of the senators who met with Machado, said the opposition leader had told senators that repression in Venezuela was no different now than under Maduro.
Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez is a “smooth operator” who was growing more entrenched by the day thanks to Trump’s support, he said.
“I hope elections happen, but I’m skeptical,” said Murphy, of Connecticut.
Trump has said he is focused on securing US access to the country’s oil and economically rebuilding Venezuela. Trump has on several occasions praised Rodriguez, Maduro’s second-in-command, who became Venezuela’s leader upon his capture. In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Trump said, “She’s been very good to deal with.”
Machado was banned from running in Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election by a top court stacked with Maduro allies.
Outside observers widely believe Edmundo Gonzalez, an opposition figure backed by Machado, won by a substantial margin, but Maduro claimed victory and retained power. While the current government has freed dozens of political prisoners in recent days, outside groups and advocates have said the scale of the releases has been exaggerated by Caracas. In an annual address to lawmakers, Rodriguez called for diplomacy with the United States and said should she need to travel to Washington, she would do so “walking on her feet, not dragged there.”
She also said she would propose reforms to her country’s oil industry aimed at increasing access for foreign investors.
