Sixty-four South Koreans who had been detained in Cambodia were repatriated to the country this morning. Most are suspects in crimes such as voice phishing and romance scams, and they were taken to police stations in handcuffs immediately after disembarking from a charter flight.

This morning, there was a palpable tension at the arrivals hall of Incheon International Airport. The South Koreans repatriated from Cambodia exited the airport in a large group, their faces concealed by hats and masks.

All were in handcuffs, escorted by two police officers each holding their arms. One individual was in a wheelchair.

A total of 64 people were repatriated; this includes 59 who were arrested by local authorities and an additional five who turned themselves in.

"Thanks to the very active cooperation of the Cambodian government, we have completed the swift repatriation of 64 of our nationals who were detained during a crackdown on a scam crime syndicate," said Kim Jin-ah, the 2nd Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Most of the repatriated individuals are suspects accused of participating in voice phishing, romance scams, and other crimes within a Cambodian criminal complex known as "wenchi." They were officially arrested as soon as they boarded the charter flight from Cambodia early this morning.

Upon their arrival at Incheon Airport, the suspects were transported to police stations with jurisdiction across the country. Forty-five were sent to the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency, 15 to the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency, and one each to the Daejeon, Gyeonggi Nambu, Seoul Seodaemun, and Gangwon Wonju police stations.

Police plan to investigate whether the individuals participated in the crimes knowing they were illegal. To do so, they will analyze evidence, including cell phones, secured from the Cambodian police. All repatriated individuals will also undergo drug testing.

The joint government response team that brought them back announced that it will share investigative information with Cambodia and actively cooperate on further repatriations. When Cambodian authorities arrest and report additional South Koreans, they will be repatriated and investigated individually by the police.

The Cambodian government has also agreed to provide the South Korean government with a "blacklist" of deported Koreans to prevent their re-entry into Cambodia.

However, plans to establish a "Korean Desk" within the Cambodian police force have effectively been canceled. Instead, the authorities have agreed to form a joint task force to facilitate cooperation.