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The National Police Agency. / Photo by Reporter Park Sung-il

The National Police Agency (NPA) is joining forces with Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security to strengthen their joint response to transnational crimes expanding across Southeast Asia. The move aims to tighten the bilateral working-level cooperation framework as organized crimes—such as voice phishing, cyber gambling, romance scams, and online investment fraud—increasingly migrate across international borders.

The NPA announced on May 19 that it had discussed measures to counter transnational crimes and enhance the protection of overseas citizens with Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security in Hanoi on May 18.

The meeting was attended by Park Jun-sung, acting director-general of the NPA's International Peacekeeping and Cooperation Bureau, and the director-general of the Foreign Relations Department at Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security. Recognizing a "balloon effect" where criminal syndicates relocate to neighboring countries following crackdowns in specific nations, the two sides agreed to swiftly share information on crime trends and syndicate movements.

During the meeting, the two nations signed a detailed Action Plan for police cooperation. The blueprint includes: tracking, arresting, and repatriating fugitives; sharing intelligence and latest crime tactics; jointly responding to cyber and financial crimes; and cooperating on the protection of overseas citizens.

An amendment to the agreement on the Korea-Vietnam Desk (Korean Desk), which was simultaneously established at the police agencies of both nations in 2015, was also signed. The desk has served as a primary channel for international cooperation, assisting in fugitive apprehensions, crime intelligence sharing, and incident response. The NPA plans to expand and operate the Korean Desk as a joint platform against transnational crimes to reflect the changing security landscape.

While continuously strengthening cooperation in apprehending and extraditing overseas fugitives, both sides also agreed to expand safety cooperation to protect Korean residents and tourists. Given Vietnam's high volume of Korean visitors alongside active economic and personnel exchanges, both parties agreed on the vital importance of cooperation in local incident response and crime prevention.

"Vietnam is a core partner country with highly active travel, economic, and interpersonal exchanges with South Korea," Acting Director-General Park said. "Based on the trust and close cooperation framework between the two police forces, we will effectively counter transnational crimes and do our utmost to build a safe environment where our overseas citizens can feel secure."