SoKor fugitive intercepted

Immigration officers at Mactan-Cebu International Airport barred a South Korean national from entering the country on Friday after discovering he is wanted in Seoul for his alleged role in a major telecommunications fraud syndicate.

The suspect — identified as Hwang Hyeonjun — was intercepted on 5 February after arriving from Vietnam on a Philippine Airlines flight. Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers flagged Hwang after his name triggered an alert in the agency’s database.

BI Interpol chief Peter De Guzman confirmed that Hwang is the subject of an active Interpol Red Notice. He is wanted for prosecution for fraud and money laundering under a warrant issued by the Suwon District Court in 2025.

Authorities allege Hwang was a key member of a syndicate that impersonated financial institution employees to deceive victims into transferring large sums of money. In one documented case, a victim was reportedly defrauded of 10 million won or approximately P420,000 through a fraudulent debt consolidation loan scheme.

The syndicate allegedly converted the stolen funds into cryptocurrency and transferred them to digital wallets. South Korean authorities estimate that at least 32.5 million won in criminal proceeds were laundered through these operations.