A South Korea-Cambodia joint task force on eradicating crimes targeting Korean nationals by criminal organizations based in the Southeast Asian country has made 135 arrests since its launch two months ago.

Lee Jae-young, the director general of the National Police Agency's International Cooperation Bureau, disclosed the figure in a briefing held on Friday shortly after the repatriation of 73 suspected criminal ring operators based in Cambodia. 

In the process of repatriating the operators, the task force rescued three South Koreans who had been held captive.

Following the launch of the joint task force, Lee said the number of reports of people going missing or being imprisoned by crime groups in Cambodia fell more than 93 percent in just two months. 

The task force of twelve Cambodian and seven South Korean police officers are currently working together undertaking joint operations in the Southeast Asian nation.