By Jaewoo Park

South Korea issued a “code-black” travel ban for parts of Cambodia on Oct. 15 and dispatched a team of high-level officials to help nationals lured into working in scam compounds and secure the release of those held against their will, according to the Reuters news agency.

More than 1,000 South Koreans are believed to be among about 200,000 people of various nationalities involved in the scam compounds in Cambodia, South Korea’s National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac told reporters.

RFA Korean’s Jaewoo Park reports for RFA Perspectives: Why has Southeast Asia — especially Cambodia and Myanmar — become a “scam haven”?

It’s not just about crime. It’s the result of corruption, lawlessness, and economic desperation.

Across the region, hundreds of thousands of people are

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