Six Chinese Nationals Jailed for Life Over Killing of South Korean Student in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, May 29, 2026 (KPT) — A Cambodian court has sentenced six Chinese nationals to life imprisonment for the murder of a South Korean student in Kampot province.

The Trial Chamber of the Kampot Provincial Court handed down the sentences on May 27 following hearings earlier this month into the killing of South Korean national Park Minho.

According to a court statement, the six men were convicted of “murder involving torture and acts of cruelty” and “aggravated organised fraud.” The crimes took place on August 8, 2025, at a property in Bokor City, Kampot province.

The convicted men were identified as Li Xing Peng (alias You Fu), Liu Haoxing (alias Ta Thov), Zhu Renzhe (alias Park), Yin Song Wan, Jin Tian Long (alias Kim Cheol Lyeong), and Li Guang Hao (alias Xiao Piao).

The court said the convictions were issued under Articles 205, 377 and 380(5) of Cambodia’s Criminal Code.

The case comes amid a wider crackdown on cyber fraud and organised crime networks. The Secretariat of the Commission for Combating Online Scams (CCOS) said authorities investigated more than 400 cyber fraud cases between July 2025 and May 2026, revoking or suspending the licences of 25 casinos linked to online scam operations.

Authorities also submitted 143 cybercrime cases to court involving 1,458 suspects from 19 nationalities. Nearly 19,000 foreign nationals were deported between January 2025 and May 2026 for alleged involvement in cybercrime activities.

Cambodia’s Law on Combating Technology-Based Fraud, which came into force in April, allows penalties of up to life imprisonment, fines of up to one billion riel, and asset confiscation.

Prime Minister Hun Manet has ordered intensified efforts against cyber fraud networks, warning they threaten public security and Cambodia’s international reputation.