BI to deport 4 South Korea fugitives

MANILA, Philippines — To prove that the Philippines is not a refuge for foreign fugitives, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) is set to deport four South Korean citizens wanted by their government for telecommunications fraud and illegal gambling.

Chun Junghoon, 39; Kim Jungsuk, 44; Park Geon Jin, 34, and Park Kyoungtae, 40, will soon be deported for being undesirable aliens, according to Immigration Commissioner Norman Tangsingco.

The fugitives were nabbed by operatives of the BI’s fugitive search unit in separate operations in Metro Manila and Pampanga.

“We have intensified the campaign to flush out these wanted foreigners who are using the country as a refuge to elude arrest and prosecution for the crimes they committed in their country,” Tansingco said in a statement.

He said the suspects’ passports have been revoked by the South Korean government, prompting the BI to blacklist them.

BI records showed that Chun was arrested on Feb. 1 in San Antonio Village, Pasig for his alleged involvement in a phishing scam.

Kim was nabbed on Feb. 4 in Angeles City, Pampanga for allegedly embezzling $300,000 from his employer.

Park, who is wanted in Seoul, was arrested in Pampanga for being tagged as a member of a voice phishing ring and allegedly amassing 7.65 million Korean won in 2018.

The fugitives are being held at the BI detention facility in Taguig.