The ringleader of an illegal overseas gambling operation worth trillions of won is escorted through Incheon International Airport on July 4 after being apprehended in a joint government investigation. [Yonhap]
The ringleader of an illegal overseas gambling operation worth trillions of won is escorted through Incheon International Airport on July 4 after being apprehended in a joint government investigation. [Yonhap]

The number of South Koreans imprisoned abroad has risen 25 percent over the past four years, according to data submitted to the National Assembly.

Data provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Rep. Kim Jun-hwan of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, showed that as of the end of June, 1,325 South Koreans were serving sentences in prisons across 54 countries — a roughly 25.6 percent increase from 1,055 in 2022.

By country, China had the highest number at 424, followed by Japan (254), Vietnam (204), the United States (138), the Philippines (61), Cambodia (54) and Thailand (43). The number of South Koreans imprisoned in Vietnam surged nearly 4.85-fold, from 42 in 2022 to 204 this year. Southeast Asian countries also saw sharp increases — Cambodia rose from 4 to 54, Laos from 2 to 15, and Thailand from 20 to 43.

By offense type, fraud accounted for the largest share at 332 inmates, or roughly one in four. Drug offenses followed at 291, with murder (128), gambling (91), theft (69) and sexual assault (52) rounding out the top categories.

"A significant number of the fraud and gambling offenders held in overseas prisons were running voice phishing schemes, stock-tip chat rooms and gambling websites," Kim said, calling on the government to substantially strengthen joint enforcement mechanisms with countries where such crimes are frequent and to move swiftly to dismantle domestic networks linked to those operations.


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