▲ Lee Kyu-yeon, the presidential secretary for public relations and communication, speaks during a press briefing at the presidential office in Seoul on Oct. 17, 2025. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

Lee-online scam ads

Lee orders removal of online ads luring S. Koreans to illegal jobs in Southeast Asia

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung has ordered emergency measures to remove online advertisements in South Korea luring nationals to fraudulent job offers across Southeast Asia, expanding earlier efforts focused on Cambodia amid a surge in online scams targeting Koreans, his office said Friday.

Lee instructed the nation's broadcasting and media review bodies, along with the National Police Agency, to swiftly delete online postings advertising fake high-paying jobs in Southeast Asian countries, presidential secretary for public relations Lee Kyu-yeon told reporters. The order came amid a surge in cases of Koreans being detained and tortured in online scam centers.

The directive was issued out of concern that strengthened monitoring in Cambodia could prompt criminal networks to shift their recruitment operations to other Southeast Asian nations, the secretary said.

Authorities plan to conduct a comprehensive review of websites where such ads are posted and share findings with major portal operators. A consultative body of tech companies, including Kakao, Naver and Google, has been formed to launch a full-fledged self-regulatory system to detect and remove suspicious postings, he added.

The presidential office has pledged to build a comprehensive, pangovernment response covering all stages -- from prevention and victim rescue to the identification and prosecution of those involved -- to ensure the safety of Korean nationals and curb their exploitation in online scams.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]