SEOUL, South Korea — About 50 South Koreans repatriated from Cambodia have been formally arrested on accusations they worked for online scam organizations in the Southeast Asian country.

They are among the 64 South Koreans who were detained in Cambodia over the past several months and were flown to South Korea on a charter flight Saturday. Upon arrival, they were detained while police investigated whether they voluntarily joined scam organizations in Cambodia or were forced to work there.

Online scams, many based in Southeast Asian nations, have risen sharply since the COVID-19 pandemic and produced two sets of victims: the tens of thousands of people who have been forced to work as scammers under the threat of violence, and the targets of their fraud. Monitoring groups say online scams

See Full Page