Scam Ringleader Linked to South Korean Student’s Killing Arrested in Pattaya, Thailand

Thai and South Korean police raided a Pattaya house, arresting Chinese scam kingpin Mr. Han Mo over the luring of a South Korean student to Cambodia. (Source: Khaosod)

Pattaya, 14 January 2026 — A Chinese national linked to the killing of a South Korean university student in Cambodia has been arrested during a raid on a luxury house in Thailand, authorities said.

The suspect, identified by South Korean officials as Han Mo, was captured in Pattaya by a joint Thai–South Korean task force formed after the discovery of the student’s body last year sparked international outrage.

“In close cooperation with Thai authorities, we arrested Han Mo, 42, a Chinese national, on January 7 in Pattaya, Thailand. He is suspected of involvement in the murder of a South Korean university student,” South Korea’s Ministry of Justice, police and intelligence agency said in a joint statement on Friday, as quoted by The Chosun Daily.

The 22-year-old student, surnamed Park, was found dead in a car near Bokor Mountain in Cambodia’s Kampot province on August 8 last year. An autopsy concluded that he had been beaten and tortured before dying from blunt force trauma.

South Korean, Thai and Cambodian authorities later formed a joint task force to dismantle the criminal ring.

In October, Cambodian police arrested three Chinese nationals suspected of involvement in Park’s killing. A month later, Li Guanghao, described by South Korean authorities as a Korean-Chinese national suspected of torturing and killing the student, was arrested in South Korea.

Han, whom South Korea’s justice ministry described as the ringleader of the scam operation, is also referred to by officials as Korean-Chinese.

Authorities said he allegedly lured South Koreans to Cambodia between May and July last year with promises of lucrative part-time jobs, with the help of Chinese and South Korean accomplices.

Han fled to Thailand shortly after Park’s body was discovered, Thai media outlet Thai Examiner reported. South Korean authorities later tracked him to a residence in Pattaya and alerted their Thai counterparts, who moved in to arrest him.

During the raid, police found two other Chinese nationals at the property. One was questioned and released, while the other was arrested on drug-related charges after admitting to using crystal meth, Thai authorities said.

South Korea has requested Han’s extradition.

“We will request the extradition of the suspect from Thai authorities and strive to repatriate him to South Korea,” the justice ministry said. “We will continue to cooperate with domestic and international agencies to track down and bring to justice all individuals involved in this case.”