PHNOM PENH, Oct 24, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Cambodian authorities said Friday that 57 South Koreans reported arrested this week for alleged involvement in transnational cyberscams were actually detained during a July crackdown.

The multibillion-dollar scam industry has ballooned in Cambodia in recent years, with thousands involved -- some willingly and others forced by organised criminal groups, experts say.

Cambodia's anti-cybercrime commission on Thursday reported that 57 South Koreans and 29 Chinese nationals were arrested this week during a raid in Phnom Penh on a building allegedly operating online scams.

In a new statement released on Friday, the commission said a South Korean delegation of lawmakers on Wednesday visited the building "which was a site used to commit online scams in July 2025".

The statement clarified that the 57 South Korean and 29 Chinese suspects were detained during the July crackdown on the building.

South Korea's foreign ministry told AFP in a statement Thursday that many of their 57 nationals who were apprehended in July by Cambodian police were repatriated on October 18.

Over the weekend, Cambodia sent home 64 South Koreans who had been held for their alleged links to "pig butchering" scams in which perpetrators build trust with victims online before stealing funds.