Seventeen people were arrested in Phnom Penh over the weekend on suspicion of taking a Korean-language test for prospective migrants under false names, an official said Tuesday.
Thousands of people showed up for a test—which was organized by the Labor Ministry and offered at seven high schools across the city on Saturday and Sunday—in the hopes of being selected for jobs in South Korea.
But at least 17 of the test-takers were not who they said they were, according to Sok Khemrin, director the Interior Ministry’s penal department.
Mr. Khemrin said that after identifying the alleged cheaters, the Labor Ministry asked police from his department to arrest them.
“The Labor Ministry officials held them for using fraudulent documents during the test and taking the test on behalf of other people, and just asked for cooperation from us,” he said, adding that penal police sent five of the suspects to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday, refusing to comment further.
According to the National Police website, the suspected cheaters comprised two women and 15 men.
“This is the first time that suspects were arrested over fraudulent documents and taking the Korean-language test on other people’s behalf,” a statement posted to the website said.
