South Korean Hong Sangwoo in custody. — Photo from the police

LÂM ĐỒNG — Police in the Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng have arrested a South Korean national wanted internationally for fraud, local authorities said on Thursday.

Hong Sangwoo, 38, was a key member of a trans-national scam ring operating in Cambodia. He was responsible for recruiting and training South Korean nationals and providing interpretation support for Chinese members of the group.

The network allegedly posed as representatives of the UK-based global asset management firm Janus Henderson Group, contacting victims through the messaging app KakaoTalk and promoting investment schemes that promised 'high returns and absolute safety.'

They later instructed victims to install a fake stock trading app in order to seize their assets, causing total losses estimated at around seven billion South Korean won (US$5.1 million).

INTERPOL issued a Red Notice for Hong on Sept. 6, 2024, for charges of fraud under Article 347 of South Korea’s Penal Code. On April 18, 2025, South Korean authorities formally requested cooperation from Vietnamese officials to locate and arrest him.

Following instructions from the Ministry of Public Security, Lâm Đồng police launched an investigation and successfully identified and apprehended Hong.

He has since been transferred to the ministry for further legal processing in accordance with international law. — VNS