BI nabs Korean fugitive involved in fraud

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) arrested a Korean fugitive wanted in his home country and apprehended another undocumented Korean national in Makati City.

Son Jongin, 65, was arrested by BI Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) agents during an enforcement operation at a residential area in Barangay Comembo, Makati City last 25 August 2026.

BI records showed that the South Korean government had previously informed the Bureau 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.

Son was also found to be undocumented and overstaying in the Philippines, and was considered a fugitive from justice who posed a risk to public safety and security.

During the implementation of the warrant, BI agents also encountered Song Ung Il, 85, another Korean national. Verification showed that a deportation order had been issued against Song in 2015 for being improperly documented.

“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,” BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said.

Both subjects were later turned over to the BI warden’s facility where they shall remain during the pendency of their case.