Laos and the Republic of Korea (ROK) upgraded their bilateral ties to a comprehensive partnership in December 2025, strengthening cooperation to combat transnational crimes including online fraud.
The move followed talks between Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith and ROK President Lee Jae-myung commemorating the 30th anniversary of the nations reestablishing diplomatic relations. As part of the partnership, Seoul and Vientiane signed mutual legal assistance and extradition treaties to bolster criminal justice cooperation. The pacts enable authorities to share evidence and seek repatriation of criminals, The Korea Herald newspaper reported.
The leaders also agreed to set up a hotline between the ROK embassy in Laos and local police and to allow cooperation between the nations’ police, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
Lee “stressed the need for the two countries to closely cooperate to tackle transnational crimes, including online scam crimes, expecting the treaties signed in light of the summit would contribute to establishing a proactive framework for cooperation,” the president’s spokesperson said.
Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are the epicenter of global fraud perpetuated from scam centers in repurposed hotels, casinos and private compounds operated by criminal networks near each nation’s border with Thailand, according to the Switzerland-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC).
The scam operations threaten regional security. They are believed to have enslaved tens of thousands of workers lured with the promise of good-paying jobs in online sales and information technology. Instead, the workers are forced to trick victims into investing in schemes involving fake business portfolios, nonexistent cryptocurrency, false tax bills and romantic relationships.
“Cyberscam operations have significantly benefited from developments in the fintech [financial technology] industry, including cryptocurrencies, with apps being directly developed for use at [scam] compounds to launder money,” Kristina Amerhauser, a senior analyst with the GI-TOC, told the Al Jazeera news service. “Victims and perpetrators are spread across different countries, money is laundered offshore, operations are global.”
Scams caused global losses exceeding $63.9 billion in 2024, including $16.6 billion from United States citizens. Proceeds fund drug, arms and sex trafficking, according to the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The Laos-ROK agreements are among international efforts to combat online fraud. In November 2025, the ROK joined Singapore, the United Kingdom and the U.S. in imposing sanctions on Cambodia’s Prince Holding Group, a multinational network whose founder is accused of running large-scale fraud operations across Southeast Asia. The U.S. Justice Department in November 2025 announced a scam center strike force to investigate Southeast Asian compounds and identify and pursue their leaders, including Chinese organized crime affiliates operating in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
Philippine authorities arrested 400 foreign nationals in January 2025 after raiding a suspected online scam center in Manila. Thailand and the U.S. also are cooperating to dismantle online fraud networks.