More than 100 foreign fugitives hiding in Korea, police data shows

More than 100 foreign fugitives, wanted for crimes committed abroad, may be residing undetected in South Korea, prompting local authorities to intensify cooperation with international law enforcement authorities to locate and return them, according to police data shared with Rep. Kim Joon-hwan on Tuesday. As of August 12, the National Police Agency (NPA) reported 110 foreign nationals who had fled their home countries or other nations and sought refuge in Korea.

China led the list with 40 Interpol requests, accounting for 36 percent of the cases, followed by Uzbekistan with 19 requests, Mongolia with 17, and Vietnam with 13. The majority of these cases involved neighboring Asian countries, such as Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, and Japan.

Fraud was the most frequently charged offense, with 47 cases, followed by other violations, including child and youth protection laws, kidnapping, confinement, and prostitution, totaling 29 cases. Drug offenses comprised seven cases, while theft, traffic law violations, injury, and assault each accounted for five cases each. Interpol requests were instrumental in identifying these fugitives.