MOI: Press release on the results of the investigation into the murder of a South Korean student
On 13 October 2025, the Ministry of Interior (MOI) issued a press release detailing the investigation into the murder of Park Minho, a 22-year-old South Korean student. The victim’s body was discovered in a hearse in Kampot City on 8 August 2025, leading to the immediate detention of two Chinese nationals who were transporting the corpse, while a third suspect fled. A preliminary autopsy determined the cause of death was a heart attack resulting from torture, evidenced by multiple bruises. The ministry specifically clarified that neither the victim’s family nor the South Korean Embassy had contacted Cambodian police regarding the case before the body’s discovery, countering earlier media reports by the South China Morning Post.
The subsequent investigation led police to raid a villa—the victim’s last known residence and a suspected site of illegal online activities—where a Chinese building manager was detained. Judicial police completed a comprehensive case file for the Kampot Provincial Court Prosecutor, charging the three detained suspects (along with two accomplices still at large) with murder, accompanied by cruelty and fraud (cyber scams), under Articles 205, 377, and 378 of the Penal Code. The three detained suspects were provisionally imprisoned, while the two remaining accomplices were continuing to search for arrest.
The Ministry of Interior is also preparing to officially write with supporting documents for the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Cambodia to be informed. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior also underscored the Royal Government’s commitment to fighting all forms of transnational crime, particularly cyber scams, which require global cooperation.
Ministry of Interior
