A former bank employee who embezzled 1.1 billion KRW (approximately $800,000) from a South Korean commercial bank and fled to the Philippines has finally been captured and forcibly extradited—18 years after his escape.
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| Fugitive Banker Repatriated After 18 Years hiding |
18-Year Manhunt Ends in Extradition
On June 27, the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) announced that it had successfully extradited two major criminal suspects from the Philippines, including the embezzler Mr. A (57) and an online gambling site operator identified as Mr. B (41).
Mr. A was a loan manager at a major commercial bank in South Korea in 2007. He falsified loan documents and embezzled 11 billion KRW, then fled to the Philippines to avoid arrest.
For over a decade, Mr. A remained at large. But in September 2024, he was caught while attempting to process administrative paperwork at the Philippine Bureau of Immigration, where officials identified him as a wanted Interpol red notice fugitive. He was immediately detained.
On the morning of June 27, Mr. A was extradited in handcuffs via Incheon International Airport, returning to South Korea to face prosecution.
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| Online gambling operator repatriated after 10 years hiding. |
Online Gambling Operator Also Returned
Also extradited on the same flight was Mr. B, an online gambling ring leader who had been hiding in the Philippines for 10 years.
According to police, Mr. B and six accomplices had been operating multiple illegal online gambling websites from the Philippines since 2015, managing over 16 billion KRW (approx. $11.5 million) in gambling funds.
Mr. B was apprehended in March after a collaborative effort between the Korean Desk (a dedicated police officer for Korean cases) and investigators from the Philippine Bureau of Immigration, who tracked his vehicle.
Learn Korean Through This News
Korean Text:
“국내 시중은행에서 대출 업무를 담당하며 11억원을 횡령해 필리핀으로 도주했던 50대 남성이 18년 만에 국내로 강제 송환됐다. 160억 규모 온라인 도박사이트 운영자도 10년 만에 강제 송환됐다.”
Key Vocabulary:
- 국내 – domestic, in Korea
- 시중은행 – commercial bank
- 대출 업무 – loan business / loan-related duties
- 담당하다 – to be in charge of
- 횡령하다 – to embezzle
- 도주하다 – to flee, to escape
- 50대 남성 – man in his 50s
- ~억 – hundred million (unit of Korean currency)
- 강제 송환 – forced repatriation, extradition
- 온라인 도박사이트 – online gambling site
- 운영자 – operator, administrator
- 규모 – scale, size
- 만에 – after (a certain amount of time)
Translation:
"A man in his 50s who worked in loan services at a domestic commercial bank and embezzled 1.1 billion won before fleeing to the Philippines has been forcibly repatriated to Korea after 18 years.
The operator of a 16 billion won online gambling site was also extradited after 10 years."
References: chosun news, donga news, yonhap news, nate news
Keywords
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