Philippines – A South Korean man who slipped out of a provincial jail in Leyte three years ago has finally been cornered by Philippine immigration authorities in Metro Manila. The arrest closed one of the longer foreign-fugitive chases handled by the Bureau of Immigration’s special tracking team.
According to a press release by the Bureau of Immigration, agents from its Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) nabbed 31-year-old Gim Sihun on June 18 along Doña Julia Vargas Avenue in Mandaluyong City.
Who Was Arrested
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado named the suspect as Gim Sihun, who had been on the run since 2023. Before his capture, Gim ranked among the top 10 Korean escapees that the South Korean government wanted brought to justice.
Here’s what authorities know about him:
- Escape: Fled the Sub-Provincial Jail in Brgy. Loyonsawang, Abuyog, Leyte in 2023
- Wanted for: Fraud, with an active warrant from the Seoul Central District Court
- Immigration status: Flagged under a 2020 summary deportation order as an undesirable alien
How the Operation Went Down
The FSU did not work alone. The bureau teamed up with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police Intelligence Group (PNP-IG) to track and corner the fugitive.
That partnership, Viado said, was the key reason agents managed to locate Gim after years of searching. The coordinated effort allowed them to confirm his whereabouts in the busy Mandaluyong district and move in for the arrest.
What the BI Said
Viado framed the capture as proof that foreign criminals cannot use the Philippines as a safe hideout.
“His arrest shows our strong efforts against wanted fugitives that attempt to use the country as a hideout to evade accountability for their crimes,” he said. The commissioner added that the FSU exists specifically to find and detain these offenders so they can be sent home to answer the charges waiting for them.
What Happens Next
Gim is now being held at the BI’s holding facility, where he will stay until his deportation is finalized. Once removed from the country, he is expected to face the fraud case filed against him in South Korea.
For Filipinos abroad, the case is a reminder of how cross-border cooperation between governments continues to track down those who try to outrun the law, no matter how many years pass.