SEOUL, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Seoul called for stronger global cooperation at the United Nations to combat human trafficking tied to online scam operations, as concern mounts at home over the kidnapping and abuse of South Korean nationals in Cambodia.
South Korea's Deputy Permanent Representative Kim Sang-jin raised the issue Thursday at the U.N. General Assembly, warning that trafficking networks linked to scam centers have become a growing transnational threat.
"This crime is increasingly intertwined with emerging forms of transnational crime, such as online scams as seen in the recent surge in cases targeting citizens of the Republic of Korea and other nations in Southeast Asian territories, underscoring the need for stronger international cooperation," Kim said during an interactive dialogue with the chair of the Human Rights Committee.
"Human trafficking endangers the right to life and security of person, and [is] a grave violation of international human rights law," Kim said. "Turning a blind eye to it is an abdication of our collective responsibility, leading to lifelong harm, disappearance and even death of countless victims."
His remarks come amid escalating concern in South Korea after reports that hundreds of citizens have been kidnapped or forced into labor at scam compounds in Cambodia.
