BI arrests Korean fugitive wanted for fraud in home country

A Korean fugitive wanted for fraud in his home country was arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) during an enforcement operation in Makati City on August 25, 2026.

In a press release issued Sunday, the BI identified the fugitive as Son Jongin, 65, who was arrested in a residential area in Barangay Comembo.

The operation was conducted jointly by the BI Fugitive Search Unit and the Korean National Police Agency.

BI records showed that Son was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Nonsan Branch of the Daejeon District Court in South Korea in 2020 for fraud, in violation of the country's Criminal Act.

Authorities also determined that Son was an undocumented and overstaying foreign national, making him a fugitive from justice who posed a threat to public safety and security.

During the execution of the warrant, authorities also encountered another Korean national, Song Ung Il, 85.

Song was the subject of a deportation order issued in 2015 for being improperly documented, according to the BI.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the agency would continue to track down foreign fugitives in the country, emphasizing the importance of immigration enforcement in maintaining national and community security.

“Foreign fugitives cannot expect to hide in the Philippines and evade the cases filed against them. We will find them, we will arrest them, and we will enforce our immigration laws,” Viado said in the press release.

The two arrested individuals were turned over to the BI Warden’s Facility, where they will remain while their cases are being processed.