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South Korean Overseas Incidents Rise from 6,498 in 2021 to 19,359 in 2025, Including 624 Kidnappings
Data released June 29 showed kidnapping and detention incidents involving South Koreans overseas increased twentyfold between 2021 and 2025. Total incidents involving South Koreans abroad tripled over the same period to 19,359 last year.
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The number of kidnapping and detention cases involving South Korean nationals overseas rose from 31 in 2021 to 624 in 2025, Yonhap reported. The foreign ministry submitted the figures to Rep. Kim Joon-hwan of the ruling Democratic Party.
Total incidents involving South Koreans abroad reached 19,359 in 2025, up from 6,498 in 2021. The yearly totals climbed steadily to 11,323 in 2022, 15,769 in 2023 and 17,283 in 2024. Serious crimes recorded in 2025 included 24 homicide cases, 108 robberies and 114 sexual assaults.
Yonhap reported the increase in kidnappings and detentions appeared linked to transnational criminal operations in Cambodia and other countries that lure victims into online scam schemes. Europe recorded 20,716 incidents involving South Koreans from 2021 through 2025. Theft accounted for 7,111 of those cases, while loss-related incidents totaled 5,932.
A file photo dated Oct. 17, 2025, showed South Korean nationals detained in Cambodia boarding a bus in Phnom Penh to return home.
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CorroborationModerate · 2 sources
