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HANOI, Vietnam, Financial News — “With around KRW 300,000, you can basically consider the border open. If you pay extra, border guards will even escort you across illegally.”

Amid growing international controversy over online scam crimes, criminal organizations that had primarily operated out of Cambodia are now moving into neighboring countries such as Thailand and Myanmar. In some border areas of Thailand and Myanmar, circumstances have been detected in which these criminal organizations allegedly bribe border guards and move back and forth without going through official immigration procedures. This has led to concerns that crimes originating in Cambodia are spreading across Southeast Asia.

(Omitted)

Scam organizations in Thailand differ from those in Cambodia. Rather than being confined in certain facilities and forced to work, members voluntarily engage in criminal activity and earn profits under a strictly performance-based system.

Chon Hyeong Hwan, Managing Partner at Mega-X Law Office, which operates offices in Seoul and Bangkok, said, “Scam criminal organizations in Thailand operate under a strict performance-based system, with daily scoreboards made public.”

He added, “Members who achieve results sometimes enjoy a free lifestyle at night, spending their earnings on entertainment and nightlife.”

Attorney Chon explained how the organizations operate, saying, “On the other hand, if performance drops, violence begins immediately. They may beat people with electrified metal rods or threaten them with guns.”

The Thai government has also recently begun to recognize scam crimes involving Koreans as a social problem. Since August of this year, the Thai government has changed its policy for Korean voice phishing suspects, deciding to repatriate them only after trial. Previously, suspects arrested on criminal charges were immediately sent back to Korea, but Thailand now appears to view these cases not merely as crimes committed by foreigners, but as problems that can shake society.

Attorney Chon said, “Currently, dozens of Koreans are serving prison sentences in connection with alleged scam crimes.”

(Rest omitted)

Source: Financial News, Hanoi, Vietnam Correspondent Kim Jun-seok, “Borders Can Be Crossed for KRW 300,000… ‘Scam Bases’ Spread to Thailand and Myanmar,” October 26, 2025.
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