OPERATIVES of the Bureau of Immigration – Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU) nabbed in in Pampanga a South Korean national wanted by Interpol and authorities in Seoul for orchestrating a massive telecommunications fraud syndicate.
FSU chief Rendel Ryan Sy said the fugitive, identified as Choi Hojun, 36, who was apprehended on April 14 at his residence in Barangay Sto. Domingo, Angeles City by members of his unit.
Based on records, Choi arrived in the Philippines on August 15, 2022 and has not departed since. A red notice from Interpol was issued in April 2024 following the release of an arrest warrant by a district court in Incheon, Seoul.
Choi had been hiding in the Philippines for over a year and a half to evade prosecution in South Korea and was arrested based on a mission order issued following a formal request from the South Korean government.
Sy said that Choi led a voice phishing syndicate that defrauded victims by illegally accessing sensitive banking information and that the suspect’s group is believed to have caused losses amounting to 1.73 billion Korean won, or roughly ₱70 million.
Choi is currently detained at the BI detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig pending deportation proceedings.
The BI said it will deport Choi immediately upon the issuance of his summary deportation order by the Board of Commissioners and that he will likewise be blacklisted from re-entering the country.
