Ahn Cheol-soo: "Cambodian Crimes Due to Lee Jae-myung's 'Xiexie Diplomacy'... Chinese Involvement Must Be Confirmed"

Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party, strongly criticized the recent spate of crimes targeting Koreans in Cambodia, attributing them to what he called the "Xiexie diplomacy" of the Lee Jae-myung administration.

On October 15, Assemblyman Ahn wrote on his social media, "The Lee Jae-myung administration must abandon 'Xiexie diplomacy' and return to diplomacy that serves the people. If the government remains silent and continues its 'Xiexie diplomacy' while citizens are being kidnapped, assaulted, and killed, it is the height of incompetence and a complete abdication of responsibility."

Ahn Cheolsoo, member of the People Power Party. Photo by Yonhap News

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Assemblyman Ahn stated, "The recent incidents of confinement, assault, and death of our citizens in Cambodia are not simply overseas crimes. The core issue is an international human trafficking and forced labor network led by Chinese criminal organizations. This represents a failure by the Lee Jae-myung administration to protect its citizens and constitutes a serious human rights violation." He continued, "Even though the media has already reported the involvement of Chinese organizations, it appears that neither the government nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested confirmation or cooperation from the Chinese government. This is a clear case of dereliction of duty by the Lee Jae-myung administration."

He called for the following actions: requesting fact-finding and joint investigation cooperation from the Chinese government; officially raising the issue of human rights violations in international forums such as the UN Human Rights Council; and a comprehensive review of the overseas citizen protection system, including support for the families of victims. Assemblyman Ahn concluded, "Even now, the government must clearly state its position to the Chinese government and immediately take national-level action to rescue victims and prevent recurrence."

Previously, a college student from Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, who had recently traveled to Cambodia, was found dead in Cambodia after three weeks. Local Cambodian police suspect the cause of death was cardiac arrest due to torture. Subsequently, reports have emerged from various parts of Korea-including Daejeon, Seongnam, Sangju, Jeju, and Incheon-of people losing contact with acquaintances who traveled to Cambodia. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from January last year to August this year, 550 cases of Koreans reporting employment scams or confinement in Cambodia were filed with Korean diplomatic missions, and the whereabouts of 80 of these individuals remain unknown.

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