AI video of S.Koreans in Cambodia scam centre misleads online
- Published on October 22, 2025 at 11:10
- 2 min read
- By SHIM Kyu-Seok, AFP South Korea
Copyright © AFP 2017-2025. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
South Korea's foreign ministry has said hundreds of its nationals were missing or detained against their will in Cambodia, where a multibillion-dollar scam industry has ballooned in recent years. But a widely circulated video supposedly depicting kidnapped South Koreans forced to work at scam centres is AI-generated. The person who created it told AFP it was shared for "raising awareness".
"Site of South Korean kidnappings in Cambodia," says the Korean-language caption and overlaid text to a short clip shared on Facebook on October 20, 2025.
It first shows dimly lit rooms where people appear to be sleeping on the floor, and then cuts to a scene in which a victim calls for help but explains he is unable to escape the facility.
The post gained traction as public concern grew in South Korea over reports of citizens being trafficked or forced to work at online scam operations in Cambodia (archived link).
One South Korean college student was found dead in a pickup truck early August after being reportedly kidnapped and tortured by a crime ring.
Seoul has said about 550 South Koreans had been reported missing or held against their will after entering Cambodia since last year.
Foreign ministry officials also met with Cambodia's prime minister and local police to discuss fake jobs and scam centres.
The clip was also shared by multiple users on Facebook, where it attracted hundreds of outraged comments.
"Being made to sleep on the floor like that -- what horror," one wrote.
Another said, "How can the government just sit by idly while it has evidence of this?"
However, the video has been created using artificial intelligence.
A keyword search found the same video published on a YouTube channel called "Patrol 24 Hours", alongside a hashtag that says, "AI video" (archived here and here).
A comment left by the creator as a disclaimer reads: "This video is a dramatised adaptation based on actual publicly released materials about a kidnapping case involving a South Korean national in Cambodia."
AFP contacted the creator of the video, who confirmed in an emailed statement that the content was produced with AI.
"Our channel clearly specifies on all platforms that it produces AI body-cam videos based on real incidents," the creator told AFP on October 21.
"This video was dramatised from publicly available materials about a kidnapping case involving a South Korean national in Cambodia, with the goal of raising awareness of the issue."
The creator added the project does not intend to mislead but rather explore "the ethical possibilities of AI content for the public good".
An analysis of the clip found visual mistakes that are hallmarks of AI, including distorted limbs and warped facial features.
Computerised text is also displayed on the side of a desktop rather than on a monitor screen.
AFP has debunked more misinformation related to scam centres.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
