"He Never Even Checked Into the Hotel"... Korean Man in His 40s Missing After Trip to Cambodia

Lost Contact Three Days After Departure
Government Advises Against Travel to Phnom Penh

Cambodia flag (photo to aid article understanding). Pixabay

Recently, a Korean man who traveled to Cambodia has been out of contact for over a week, prompting police to launch an investigation.

According to an MBC report on October 5, Mr. A (42), who had been working in Jeonju, departed for Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on September 24. He went on a 5-night, 6-day trip, but lost contact with his family three days after leaving the country.

Despite his family’s repeated attempts to reach him through social networking services (SNS) and KakaoTalk, there was no response, and he did not answer phone calls either. A local guide was then sent to the hotel in Phnom Penh where the last GPS record was detected, but it was revealed that he had never checked in at that hotel.

Mr. A’s father expressed his frustration, saying, “There is no answer at all. The only message is that the call cannot be connected.” His mother also said, “I was shocked to hear that people can be kidnapped even when traveling to Cambodia. We cannot confirm whether he is alive or not.”

Currently, the police have sent an official request to the Korean Embassy in Cambodia to confirm his safety, but as of now, there has been no response. Last month, the government issued a travel advisory for Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, urging people to refrain from traveling there, and a special travel warning for areas such as Sihanoukville in the southwest.