BI deports 49 South Korean fugitives

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) deported 49 South Korean fugitives on Wednesday morning, marking the largest simultaneous deportation of South Koreans since 2017.

Most of the deported individuals, consisting of 43 men and six women, were wanted in South Korea for financial crimes, including illegal gambling and online scamming, and were arrested in various operations across the Philippines.

Among them were Choi Hojun, who is wanted for masterminding a phishing syndicate that stole 1.7 billion won, and Han Jonghoon, who allegedly operated 23 online gambling websites and pocketed over two trillion won.

Jung Hoesung is wanted for operating illegal online platforms, while Choi Byeongil is the alleged mastermind in a real estate deposit loan scam.

The operation, carried out by the BI's Deportation and Implementation Unit (DIU), was in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.'s directive to swiftly remove foreign fugitives.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado reiterated that the Philippines is not a haven for foreign fugitives, emphasizing that those who abuse the country's hospitality will face the harshest penalties of law.

He previously stated that another group of South Koreans would be deported the following week, aiming to disprove the notion that it is easy for fugitives to hide in the Philippines.