Korea, Vietnam tighten crackdown on cross-border crime networks

Korean and Vietnamese police officials met in Hanoi Sunday to deepen cooperation against a surge in cross-border criminal networks that authorities said have expanded rapidly across Southeast Asia. The National Police Agency said Tuesday that the talks focused on strengthening joint responses to organized crimes such as voice phishing, cyber gambling, romance scams and online investment fraud, while also enhancing protection for Korean nationals abroad. Park Jun-sung, acting commissioner general for international affairs at the agency, met with officials from Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security to discuss what investigators described as a growing “balloon effect,” in which criminal groups relocate operations to neighboring countries after crackdowns intensify elsewhere. The two sides signed an action plan under an existing police cooperation agreement, outlining expanded collaboration in tracking fugitives, sharing criminal intelligence, responding to cyber and financial crimes and protecting overseas citizens. Officials also agreed to revise operational agreements tied to the Ko

Original source: Korea Times