BI to deport three South Korean fugitives

DAVAO CITY ––The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has announced the impending deportation of three South Korean fugitives arrested this September in Pampanga and Rizal.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado confirmed that the Koreans were apprehended during separate operations by the bureau’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) on September 14 and September 19. They will be sent back to Seoul as soon as the BI Board of Commissioners issues the order for their summary deportation.

“They have been placed on our blacklist of undesirable aliens, which means they are permanently banned from re-entering the Philippines,” Viado added.

The first arrest occurred on September 14 at a residence along Pandan-Tabun Road in Angeles City, Pampanga, where 45-year-old Kim Hyungju was taken into custody.

He is wanted in Korea for telecommunications fraud, specifically for his involvement in a voice phishing syndicate that allegedly defrauded victims of more than 100 million won (over US$74,000).

Also arrested on the same day in Angeles City was 46-year-old Oh Suhong, who is wanted for operating an illegal online gambling site. A Korean court issued a warrant for his arrest after he was charged with violating his country’s Game Industry Promotion Act. Authorities allege that in 2021, Oh illegally acquired 40 gaming consoles to facilitate online betting.

On September 19, BI-FSU operatives arrested 44-year-old Kim Hyojoong in an Executive Village in Taytay, Rizal. He is wanted for fraud, having allegedly deceived 23 victims into paying him 73 million won by promising to process their visas while he was employed at a Canada immigration support center in Seoul. The Korean National Police Agency has also reported that Kim faces criminal complaints for blackmail and kidnapping.

All three individuals, whose passports have been revoked, are currently detained at the BI custodial facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, while awaiting deportation.