15 Facts About Sok Kong

Lok Oknha Sok Kong is a Khmer-Vietnamese oligarch and founder of Sokimex, a petroleum company based in Cambodia.

Sok Kong is considered among Cambodia's two "most successful entrepreneurs" along with Kith Meng, but remains controversial for alleged connection to human rights violations, including human trafficking and the recent wave of cyber scams since 2019 within Cambodia.

Sok Kong's education did not go beyond the third grade.

Sok Kong gave an interview in 2004 to a Vietnamese newspaper, where he discussed his early business career in the 1980s with an initial capital of US$100, which he used to "make a mold" to start making bicycle tires, and gradually expanded his operations, until he was began supplying the People's Republic of Kampuchea with goods such as umbrella's and fabric, until he rose to a position of intermediary in dealing Army tanks from Vietnam.

Sok Kong's wealth during this period exploded, so much so that within just a few years he was a multi-millionaire.

Sok Kong played a key role supporting then Second Prime Minister Hun Sen during the 1997 Cambodian coup d'etat, when Sok Kong sided with the long-time dictator to provide the factions of the military that were aligned with the junior government coalition Cambodian People's Party with gasoline.

In 1999, Sok Kong acquired the ticketing rights to Angkor Wat.

Sok Kong continued to develop Sokimex with his brother Sok Vanna, and in close relation with the Cambodian government.

In 2008, Sok Kong was confirmed as the new owner of the lion's share of Occheuteal Beach, the largest and most popular public dune in the region of Sihanoukville.

On 25 January 2022, Sok Kong announced to build a road connecting National Road 4 to Bokor Mountain with a length of about 27 kilometers.

Sok Kong announced his intention to sell Sokha Hotel Phnom Penh and surrounding areas in Chroy Changvar for $1.5 billion and allocate that money to further develop Bokor's Thansur Sokha Hotel and pay off debts.

Sok Kong has been widely criticized for his business practises since the 1980s, though he questions his critics, wondering if anyone would have taken the risk that he dared to take at that time.

Since then, Sok Kong has promoted better business practises: since becoming President of the Phnom Penh Chamber of Commerce for example, he signed the statement on corporate governance by the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Sok Kong has criticized the impunity of certain oknha and has called for equal treatment before justice:.

Sok Kong is married and is the father of six children, three boys and three girls.