PARAÑAQUE CITY, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration’s (BI) Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) recently apprehended a South Korean national wanted for illegal gambling activities in his home country.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado reported that 42-year-old Choi Jonguk was taken into custody on October 12 in a well-known entertainment district in Brgy. Tambo, Parañaque. Choi had been on the BI’s wanted list since 2019 due to charges linked to running an illegal gambling website catering to Korean bettors, who wagered on sports event outcomes. His alleged activities violated South Korea’s national sports promotion laws, as he profited by selling online sports betting tickets.
In a separate operation, the BI also arrested another South Korean fugitive, Seo Jungchul, 37, on October 7. Seo was captured at the Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles City, Pampanga, by FSU agents. He was previously ordered deported in 2019 for being an undesirable alien.
Seo is listed in an Interpol red notice and had been evading authorities in South Korea by overstaying in the Philippines. He is wanted for drug-related offenses, with a warrant issued by the Seoul Central District Court in 2017, after being charged with violating narcotics control laws. Reports indicate that Seo was involved in the purchase, use, and trafficking of Philopon, a form of methamphetamine widely abused in South Korea.
Both Choi and Seo are classified as undocumented aliens, with their passports revoked by their government. They are currently held at the BI detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig, where they will remain until deportation proceedings are completed. #
