Seoul, Nov. 27 -- South Korea on Thursday announced independent sanctions against 15 individuals and 132 entities involved in transnational crimes in Southeast Asia, primarily targeting online scams that defraud South Korean nationals, Yonhap News Agency reported.

According to the Yonhap News Agency, the move comes in the wake of widespread outrage over the death of a South Korean college student, who was reportedly tortured by an online job-scam ring in Cambodia.

The incident prompted the South Korean government to intensify efforts against transnational criminal networks in the region.

According to the South Korean Foreign Ministry, the sanctions target criminal organisations engaged in voice phishing and other online fraud, includin...