South Korea imposes sanctions on Prince Group and others over online crimes

South Korea has imposed sanctions on 15 individuals and 132 entities, including Prince Group and those tied to the Southeast Asia-based multinational network, over online crimes in Southeast Asia, the government said on Thursday.



"It is our first unilateral sanction responding to a trans-national crime and the single biggest, which shows the government's willingness to actively respond to online crimes in Southeast Asia," it said in a statement.



South Korea agreed with Cambodia to cooperate on fighting online scams, after repatriating last month more than 60 of its nationals detained in the Southeast Asian country over allegations they were involved in online crimes, following the death of a South Korean student.



Prince Group, which has been accused of operating large-scale online scam centres that used trafficked workers to defraud victims around the world, was sanctioned last month by Britain and the United States.



Authorities across Asia, from Singapore to Taiwan and Hong Kong, have also seized assets or detained individuals tied to the group.