(LEAD) S. Korea to issue travel ban on parts of Cambodia amid safety concerns

▲ This photo, taken from the foreign ministry website on Oct. 15, 2025, shows the map of Cambodia put under a travel warning or travel ban amid concerns over job scams against South Korean nationals. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) Cambodia region-travel ban

(LEAD) S. Korea to issue travel ban on parts of Cambodia amid safety concerns

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead, photo; UPDATES paras 4-5)

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- The foreign ministry said Wednesday it will issue a travel ban on some parts of Cambodia amid concerns over a widening job scam crisis involving the trafficking and torture of South Korean nationals.

The Level 4 travel ban, the highest in the four-scale travel warning system, will take effect on Cambodia's Bokor Mountain region in Kampot Province, and in the cities of Bavet and Poipet starting Thursday, according to the ministry.

It also plans to raise the travel warning for Koreans in Cambodia's Sihanoukville Province to leave the region, which is infamous for its concentration of criminal groups.

The ministry warned that those who travel to or stay in the area despite the travel ban may face punishment under the Passport Act and other relevant regulations.

Other regions under a special travel advisory, equivalent to Level 2.5 on the four-tier system, will remain in place, the ministry said, adding the rest of Cambodia with a Level 1 alert in place will be raised to Level 2.

The move came amid reports of a growing number of South Koreans abducted and detained in Cambodia after falling victim to job scams. In one tragic case, a university student was found dead near Bokor Mountain in Kampot Province in August after being tortured and detained, sparking public outrage.

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