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 Beijing, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) -- Criminals have been increasingly preying on Korean travellers and residents in China with the increase of exchanges between the two countries since the opening of diplomatic relations in 1992. Over the past three years, 15 Koreans were murdered, 177 were assaulted, 95 kidnapped or illegally confined, and 64 robbed, the Korean Embassy in Beijing said Saturday. The figures are feared to be higher since many cases were not reported, an embassy official said. The most frequent crimes involved the loss or theft of Korean passports, according to the official. Last year alone, 1,800 Korean passports were reported missing in China -- 1,000 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, 400 in Beijing and 200 in Shanghai, the official said. Missing passports find their way to human traffickers, he said. 
	
	
 "About 90 percent of foreigners' missing passports are Korean's, and the missing passports are being used mostly for crimes like illegal entry, downgrading the nation's credibility in the international community," the official said. The number of crimes committed by Koreans has also been on the increase. Among the crimes are illegal trafficking or forgery of passports, drug production and transportation, smuggling, overstaying visas and drunk driving, the official said. Last year, 1.6 million Koreans travelled to China, up from 1.34 million in 2000, and the number of Korean students in China hit 16,000, more than any other country; Japan trailed with 15,000 students, the official said. hsj@yna.co.kr