The main opposition People Power Party(PPP) has criticized Seoul for prioritizing efforts to repatriate South Koreans detained in Cambodia for alleged involvement in a crime ring, saying the focus should be on rescuing people held captive by crime rings against their will.

In a statement on Saturday, PPP spokesperson Cho Yong-sool accused the Lee Jae Myung administration of being overly preoccupied with the appearance of getting results when it sent a chartered plane to bring back the criminal suspects from Cambodia.

Stressing that Interpol red notices had been issued against some of those brought back on Saturday, the spokesperson said their repatriation should not be misrepresented as a great achievement on the part of the government to protect the country’s citizens.

The party spokesperson then urged the administration to immediately take practical steps to rescue South Korean fraud victims who have been forced into captivity by crime rings.