Hong Sangwoo, 38, was taken in by Vietnamese police under an international arrest warrant for fraud.

According to Interpol, he was a member of a fraud ring based in Cambodia and responsible for recruiting, training and managing South Korean members and providing Korean translation for Chinese members of the syndicate.

The group impersonated British asset management company Janus Henderson Group to defraud victims via messaging app KakaoTalk.

Hong Sangwoo at a police station in Lam Dong Province, home to Da Lat City. Photo by Le Tien

It set up online chat rooms, enticed people into investing with promises of "high profits and absolute safety" and got them to install a fake stock trading app.

It is estimated to have swindled seven billion won (US$5.2 million) from victims in South Korea.

Hong was wanted by South Korean authorities for fraud.

Interpol issued the arrest warrant for him in September 2024 and recently sought Vietnam's assistance in apprehending him based on information he was hiding in the country.