The government said the timing of the return of 59 South Koreans in Cambodian custody who are designated for deportation has not yet been finalized.

According to the foreign ministry, the two sides are in close consultation regarding the details of the detainees' return, but technical and administrative issues must be addressed before a departure date is announced.

Cambodia's General Commissariat of National Police had stated earlier the same day that it planned to deport the 59 detained South Koreans on Friday in cooperation with the South Korean embassy in Phnom Penh. The individuals had either been rescued from the custody of crime rings or detained on criminal charges.

South Korea's presidential office said earlier this week that 63 of the nation's citizens were in the custody of Cambodian immigration authorities. Four of those individuals were repatriated on two separate commercial flights on Tuesday and Friday.

The South Korean government previously said it planned to bring the remaining people home by this weekend.