Two South Koreans Arrested in the Philippines for Illegal Gambling, Other Activity

Two criminals from South Korea wanted on charges of illegal gambling and other crimes thought they could hide out in the Philippines. They thought wrong, and both have now been taken into custody.

The Philippines Bureau of Immigration (BI) has tracked down two fugitives on the run in the country. Media outlet Philippines Lifestyle reports that there is no connection between the two, other than their well-timed captures.

The BI s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) found Kang Mingyu on Friday. The 53-year-old was hiding out in his condominium in Makati City when he was taken into custody.

Kang had an arrest warrant pending since 2020 as an undesirable alien. That followed a warrant that was issued in Seoul, South Korea. He was reportedly charged with large-scale fraud before making his big escape.

We will immediately implement the order and send him back to his country. He has also been placed on our blacklist, which perpetually bans him from re-entering the Philippines, said BI Commissioner Jaime Morente.

From August 2016 to November 2019, Kang, along with an unspecified number of accomplices, stole around US$600,000 from his victims through alleged fraud. He promised to invest the money in a number of ventures. However, he ran off with the cash, instead.

After authorities in Seoul issued the arrest warrant, Kang fled the country. That led Interpol to issue a red notice for his capture. A red notice is shared with law enforcement agencies worldwide to capture a suspect.

On Saturday, the FSU caught up with a second wanted man out of South Korea. A 51-year-old, Jung Youngmin, was arrested as he strolled along Andres Bonifacio Avenue in Clark, Pampanga.

Youngmin has an outstanding arrest warrant in Seoul issued last September. He is accused of establishing gambling operations in the country, violating South Korea s Criminal Act. The operations reportedly became lucrative. He is said to have earned around US$23 million as an illegal entrepreneur.

Both men now have a temporary home in Taguig. They are being kept at the BI Warden Facility until they can be sent to South Korea to stand trial for their crimes.

These arrests are just the latest by the BI, which has become adept at tracking down foreign criminals in the Philippines. Last September, the agency announced that three South Korean nationals were arrested for operating illegal online gambling sites.

Morente stated at the time that he issued the order for their arrest. The order followed a notice from South Korean authorities that the wanted fugitives were likely in the country.

BI FSU Chief Rendel Sy said that the three were issued standing arrest warrants on July 31, 2021, by a Busan district court in South Korea. The accused were charged with violating South Korea s Game Industry Promotion Act, which outlines the country s stance on illegal gambling.