South Korea’s National Police Agency (NPA) is expanding its regional cooperation efforts against cyber-enabled crime through a new training initiative for investigators from Laos and Cambodia, as authorities across Southeast Asia continue to confront large-scale online scam and illegal gambling operations.
The program, launched under the “K-Police Wave” project, will see 20 law enforcement officials participate in technical workshops throughout May.
Ten middle managers from the Lao General Department of Police are undergoing training through May 23, while investigators from Cambodia’s Korea Desk and intelligence units will attend sessions at the National Police University and other Korean facilities later this month.
The initiative comes amid growing concern over organized criminal groups operating scam compounds and online gambling networks across parts of Southeast Asia.
Cambodia in particular has faced increased international scrutiny over the use of casino complexes and special economic zones linked to online fraud, human trafficking and illegal betting operations.
Training sessions will focus on digital forensics, cryptocurrency transaction monitoring, online gambling investigations and procedures for international legal cooperation.
Korean authorities said the curriculum also includes narcotics interdiction tactics and methods for tracing concealed criminal proceeds.
South Korea has intensified its response to overseas cybercrime activity in recent years following a rise in cases involving Korean victims targeted by investment scams, romance fraud and illegal online gambling platforms operated abroad.
Authorities have increasingly pointed to Cambodia-based syndicates as a significant source of cross-border cybercrime affecting Korean nationals.
The program also reflects broader regional efforts to strengthen intelligence-sharing networks as criminal organizations shift operations between jurisdictions with varying levels of enforcement.
Several Southeast Asian governments have expanded crackdowns on online scam compounds over the past year, often with support from Chinese and Korean law enforcement agencies.
Cambodia has recently introduced tougher anti-scam legislation and widened enforcement operations targeting online fraud networks.
Regional authorities have also increased scrutiny of cryptocurrency flows linked to illicit gambling and fraud schemes as digital payment channels become more embedded within transnational criminal operations.
The NPA said the training initiative is intended to establish closer working relationships between investigators and improve coordination in fugitive tracking and real-time intelligence exchanges.
Cambodia recently reported 13,039 deportations linked to online scam investigations and said authorities had shut down 91 casino sites allegedly connected to illegal operations as part of a nationwide enforcement campaign.
Authorities in Cambodia said more than 250 suspected scam locations have been raided since July last year, with new legislation introducing five additional online scam offenses
