National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac said Wednesday that the government is working to repatriate about 60 Korean nationals detained in Cambodia for alleged involvement in scam operations, with the goal of bringing them home by the weekend.

Wi told reporters that roughly 200-thousand people of various nationalities are believed to be engaged in Cambodia’s scam industry, including voice phishing and other online crimes, with about one-thousand Koreans among them.

He said many Koreans are either being held captive by criminal organizations or detained by Cambodian authorities following recent crackdowns that resulted in thousands of arrests, including over a thousand Chinese nationals and 63 Koreans, down from an earlier count of 68.

Wi dismissed speculation of diplomatic strain, saying Cambodia is cooperating fully and has agreed to transfer the detained Koreans.

He added that a joint task force of Korean and Cambodian investigators will be launched to expand arrests and expedite the rescue of Koreans still held by scam networks.

The issue of online scam operations in Cambodia has come under the spotlight following the recent torture and death of a Korean college student held by such criminal groups.