A Korean man was found dead in a crime compound run by a Chinese gang in Cambodia, with signs indicating he had been beaten and tortured.
According to South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 14th, the body of a Korean man surnamed Park was discovered on August 6 in a criminal compound located in the Bokor Mountain area of Kampot Province, Cambodia. Local police have launched an investigation.
At the scene, police recovered two bodies from a large trash bin, wrapped in blankets and black plastic bags. One of the bodies was identified as Park. His face was severely swollen, and his entire body was covered with dark bruises and blood stains—clear signs of assault and abuse. Cambodian authorities are investigating the exact cause of death.
The location where Park was found is known as a “crime compound” or “wrench,” a large-scale scam call center where dozens to hundreds of people live in confinement and engage in organized online phishing crimes. Park was reportedly held captive there and killed over an internal financial dispute within the organization.
According to human rights group Amnesty International, there are more than 50 such compounds in Cambodia, most run by Chinese triads and other gangs. These groups are notorious for brutally torturing or even killing members who attempt to escape or fail to meet fraud targets.
A 28-year-old Korean man surnamed Park, who recently escaped from such a compound, told reporters, “Chinese members of the organization will easily kill a person over money. Beatings and electric torture were common, and when I tried to escape but was caught, I was locked in a warehouse for a week and subjected to waterboarding.”
In the first half of this year alone (January–June), 212 people were victims of kidnapping and confinement in Cambodia—a staggering 1,827% increase compared to 2011 (11 victims). If the trend continues, this year’s total could reach double that of last year’s 221 victims.
