Korean tourist vanishes with free rent and cash in Pattaya

A Pattaya rental room operator was left high and dry by a cunning Korean tourist.

A 49 year old owner of a rental room on Soi Chaloem Phra Kiat 11, Pattaya 3 Road, shared his experience yesterday, August 1, to caution other rental operators. Arinthat provided CCTV footage showing the face of the elusive Korean man who swindled him.

Arinthat recounted that the Korean tourist, 48 year old Hin Kyung Mo, rented a room on July 17, paying rent until July 21. After that, he stopped paying, claiming his wallet and passport were lost. He said he was waiting for friends to help him in three days, but when they didn’t show up, he claimed he couldn’t contact them.

On July 31, the Korean man said he needed to visit the embassy for help with his passport and documents. Arinthat kindly called a taxi for him. However, the Korean man asked to stop at a convenience store for five minutes and then vanished, leaving the taxi waiting for over 30 minutes. This entire episode was caught on CCTV.

“I feel hurt because, on July 21, he said he had no money for food, so I lent him 1,000 baht. During the long holiday, he borrowed another 3,000 baht, saying he would contact the embassy but was unsuccessful. Yesterday, he said he ran out of money and needed to go to the embassy again, so I gave him another 2,000 baht before he disappeared.”

The landlord mentioned that he had previously helped other tourists, who always repaid him once they contacted their families. This time, however, was different. When he went to file a report at Pattaya City Police Station, the police refused to accept it, stating it didn’t constitute a legal offence as he had allowed the man to stay voluntarily, reported KhaoSod English.

“I want to warn other rental operators to be cautious of scammers. We try to be kind to tourists but end up being treated like this.”