PASAY, Philippines—The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday implemented a mass deportation of 49 South Korean fugitives at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
The deportation follows the directive of President Ferdinand ‘Bong Bong’ Marcos, Jr. to ensure the swift removal of foreign fugitive and undesirable aliens from the country.
The deportation was arranged by the BI’s deportation and implementation unit (DIU) in coordination with the South Korean Embassy, who provided logistical assistance to expedite the deportation of the 49 individuals.
The arrested fugitives were made up of 6 females and 43 males. All were summarily deported after being tagged by their government as fugitives from justice.
“Most of those deported faced cases of fraud in South Korea,” said BI Commissioner Joel Viado. “We are grateful for the strong partnership with the South Korean government to make sure that these criminals be returned to their home country to face justice,” he added.
Viado said that the decongestion of the BI’s holding facility, as well as the speedy deportation of illegal aliens, remains a priority of his administration.
Among those deported is Choi Hojun, 36, who was arrested by the BI fugitive search unit (FSU) agents in in Angeles City, Pampanga last April 14. Choi is wanted in South Korea for allegedly being the mastermind of a messaging phishing syndicate based in China and the Philippines. Their criminal organization reportedly transferred a total of KRW 1.7 B by illegally accessing sensitive information, particularly banking data of around 200 victims.
Another deportee, identified as Han Jonghoon, 42, was arrested by the FSU in Annapolis, San Juan City last July 4 for allegedly operating 23 illegal online gambling websites targeting Koreans, and reportedly pocketing more than KRW 2 Trillion in profits.
Also deported were Jung Hoesung, 40 and Choi Byeongil, 44. Jung is wanted in Korea for operating illegal online platforms and subjecting recruits to intimidation and physical assault. Choi, on the other hand, is wanted for allegedly being the mastermind behind a real estate deposit loan scam, embezzling billions of Won.
Viado emphasized the BI’s strong commitment to deport foreign fugitives from the Philippines. “Let me reiterate. The Philippines is not a haven for foreign fugitives. Those who abuse our country’s hospitality will face the harshest penalty of law,” he warned.
The fugitives were escorted back to South Korea by representatives from BI and the South Korean government.