The Kampot Provincial Court on 27/5 convicted 6 Chinese nationals, aged 30 to 54 – Jin Tian Long, Yin Song Wan, Li Guang Hao, Li Xing Peng, Liu Haoxing, and Zhu Renzhe – of murder with cruel torture and organized fraud.

The group killed the victim, 22-year-old South Korean student Park Min-ho. As Cambodia does not apply the death penalty, the court sentenced all 6 defendants to life imprisonment.

In 8/2025, officials found Park Min-ho's body in a pickup truck near Bokor Mountain, Kampot province. Forensic examination revealed they tortured the victim to death after taking him to an online scam complex on Bokor Mountain.

Park's death sparked outrage in South Korea, prompting Seoul to increase diplomatic pressure on Phnom Penh to crack down on related scam rings.

Three of the Chinese defendants in the torture and murder case of a South Korean student at Bokor Mountain in 2025. *Khmer Times*

In Southeast Asia, cybercrime thrives in Cambodia and Myanmar, where many casinos have transformed into online scam centers. These rings often lure foreigners with promises of "easy jobs with high salaries," then force them into romance or cryptocurrency scams under near-slavery conditions, profiting from victims worldwide.

Cambodia has accelerated its crackdown on online scam centers this year. In January, the country extradited Chen Zhi, founder of Prince Holding Group, to China. He faced accusations of leading a transnational scam and money laundering network. The United States previously indicted Chen on similar charges.

Steel wall outside the complex at Bokor Mountain Park. *SBS*

In March, the Cambodian parliament passed a law targeting online scam rings, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. According to the Anti-Online Scam Committee, from 1/2025 to 5/2026, Cambodia deported 18,864 individuals of 33 nationalities and prosecuted 1,458 people.

Duc Trung (Based on AP, Khmer Times, CBS News)