Bureau of Immigration to deport South Korean fugitive

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is set to deport a South Korean man wanted in his country for robbery and attempted murder.

Gwan Wook-ko, 35, will be sent back to Seoul as soon as the BI board of commissioners issues the order for his summary deportation, BI chief Ronaldo Ledesma said yesterday.

Ledesma said Gwan was arrested last Dec. 14 in Taguig City by operatives of the BI Interpol unit.

Jerome Gabionza, BI Interpol operations chief, said the fugitive was about to enter the Korean embassy – presumably to secure his travel documents – when immigration agents arrested him.

Ledesma said a Seoul district court issued a warrant for Gwan’s arrest for robbing and shooting his employer, also a Korean, at a golf resort in Bulacao, Palawan in 2008.

The complainant, Lee Gyegwan, alleged that on Aug. 17, 2008, Gwan took his expensive watch after shooting him four times in the body and hitting him on the head with a stick.

According to the BI, Gwan also tried but failed to take Lee’s bag, which contained $50,000.

According to BI-Interpol unit chief Floro Balato Jr., Gwan was believed to have fled to Korea after the incident, prompting the victim to file his complaint with the police authorities in Seoul.

Gabionza said Gwan’s passport was already canceled by the Korean government, making him an undocumented alien.