Amid a recent surge in crimes against South Korean nationals in Cambodia, the government will establish a “Korean Desk” in Cambodia to strengthen protection and investigative cooperation.

The National Police Agency(NPA) announced on Sunday that it will hold a bilateral meeting with Cambodian police on October 23 at a hotel in Seoul to sign a memorandum of understanding(MOU) for the creation of a Korean Desk and deployment of Korean police officers.

The Korean Desk will place Korean officers within a Cambodian police station to assist in handling cases involving Korean citizens.

The first such desk was established in the Philippines in 2012.

The NPA is also considering sending the Commissioner of the National Office of Investigation to Cambodia to assess the local security environment and strengthen investigative cooperation.

To further strengthen its global response capacity, the police agency will conduct joint operations targeting transnational crimes in collaboration with international policing bodies such as Interpol and ASEANAPOL. 

NPA will also add 30 new officers to its international investigation unit.