Seoul halts UN water project in Cambodia for crimes against South Koreans

South Korea suspended a UN-backed international project aimed at enhancing water management in Cambodia due to a recent surge in crimes targeting South Koreans in the region, Yonhap News reported Sunday.

The initiative, jointly led by the UN Development Program (UNDP) and South Korea, aimed to improve the resilience of communities in areas vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters along the Mekong River, which includes Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.

As part of the effort, South Korea's state-run Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) launched a pilot program in Cambodia, collaborating with South Korean businesses to develop a renewable energy-based water supply and management system.

But STEPI said Sunday that it has postponed a scheduled ceremony to officially hand over the program to Cambodian authorities later this year. While the handover is temporarily on hold, the institute noted that it plans to continue related initiatives in other nations.

Public concern intensified after a South Korean college student was reportedly tortured and killed in August by a criminal group running online scams in Cambodia.

In response, the South Korean government has ramped up diplomatic efforts and investigations, including operations to locate and rescue its citizens from criminal groups.

A total of 64 South Koreans who had been held in Cambodia returned home Saturday, following the deployment of a special government response team to the country.