More than 100 int'l fugitives hiding in Korea, police data shows

More than 100 foreign nationals wanted for crimes abroad are believed to be hiding in Korea, according to police data submitted Tuesday to Rep. Kim Joon-hwan’s office. The National Police Agency said 110 such fugitives had fled to Korea as of Aug. 12, with China accounting for the largest share. Police have increased cooperation staff and repatriations have nearly doubled this year. Kim urged police to expand dedicated personnel and budget for international cooperation.

The National Police Agency said 110 foreign nationals wanted for crimes in their home countries or other countries had fled to Korea as of Aug. 12.

China accounted for 40 Interpol requests, followed by Uzbekistan with 19, Mongolia with 17 and Vietnam with 13.

Fraud was the most common charge, with 47 cases, while the other category covered child and youth protection violations, kidnapping, confinement and prostitution.

This year, the agency increased its cooperation staff from 22 to 64.

The number of repatriations rose from 13 last year to 24 as of August this year.

Published Sep 8, 2026 1:47 pm KST

Updated Sep 8, 2026 5:44 pm KST

A hallway of cells at Cheonan Correctional Institution, Korea's only prison tasked with handling foreign inmates, in South Chungcheong Province, Aug. 6 / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

More than 100 foreign nationals wanted for crimes committed overseas are believed to be hiding in Korea, prompting police to strengthen cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies to track them down and repatriate them.

According to data submitted by the National Police Agency (NPA) to Rep. Kim Joon-hwan's office on Tuesday, 110 foreign nationals wanted for crimes committed in their home countries or other countries had fled to Korea as of Aug. 12.

By nationality, China accounted for the largest share with 40 Interpol requests, or 36 percent, followed by Uzbekistan with 19 requests, Mongolia with 17 and Vietnam with 13. Most other cases involved nearby Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand and Japan.

By offense type, fraud was the most common charge with 47 cases, followed by an "other" category that included violations of child and youth protection laws, kidnapping, confinement and prostitution with 29 cases. Drug offenses accounted for seven cases, while theft, traffic law violations, injury and assault each accounted for five.

When Interpol requests cooperation, the NPA alerts the provincial police agency that has jurisdiction over the suspect's believed location to attempt an arrest. This year, the agency more than doubled its cooperation staff, from 22 to 64. The number of repatriations also nearly doubled, from 13 last year to 24 as of August this year.

Stronger domestic investigations raised the arrest rate for Korean criminals who fled overseas, as international cooperation operates on reciprocity.

Last month, the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police arrested a Chinese man in his 50s and repatriated him. He committed robbery and murder in China in 1997, then entered Korea in 2017 and lived here as an undocumented immigrant.

Chinese authorities also tracked down Korean scam and voice phishing suspects who fled to China, repatriating 192 last year alone, a figure that stayed in the triple digits every year.

Such cooperation extended to protecting Korean nationals living overseas. The NPA repatriated 13 fugitives to Mongolia who had fled to Korea this year, a 330 percent jump in the arrest rate from 2025.

As cooperation between the two countries deepened, Mongolian police also grew more active in protecting Korean nationals there.

In February, a Korean national was assaulted in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. When local police responded passively, the NPA demanded a new investigation and disciplinary action. Mongolian authorities then punished the assailant and removed the police chief from the post.

"It is a serious problem that directly threatens the safety of our citizens when fugitives who committed grave crimes abroad are hiding out in Korea," Kim said. "Police must expand personnel and budget dedicated to Interpol cooperation to meaningfully raise the arrest rate of fugitives."

据周二提交给金俊焕议员办公室的警方数据显示，超过100名因在国外犯罪而被通缉的外国公民被认为藏匿在韩国。韩国国家警察厅表示，截至8月12日，已有110名此类逃犯逃往韩国，其中来自中国的逃犯人数最多。警方已增加合作人员，今年遣返人数几乎翻了一番。金俊焕敦促警方扩大国际合作专项人员和预算。

韩国国家警察厅表示，截至8月12日，已有110名因在其本国或其他国家犯下罪行而被通缉的外国公民逃往韩国。

国际刑警组织向中国发出了 40 份请求，其次是乌兹别克斯坦（19 份）、蒙古（17 份）和越南（13 份）。

欺诈是最常见的指控，共有 47 起案件，而其他类别则包括违反儿童和青少年保护法、绑架、非法拘禁和卖淫。

今年，该机构的合作人员从 22 人增加到 64 人。

遣返人数从去年的 13 人增加到今年 8 月的 24 人。

发布于2026年9月8日下午1:47（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月8日下午5:44（韩国标准时间）

8月6日，韩国忠清南道天安惩教所（韩国唯一一所专门关押外国囚犯的监狱）的牢房走廊。（韩国时报 崔元硕 摄）

据信有 100 多名因在海外犯下罪行而被通缉的外国公民藏匿在韩国，促使警方加强与外国执法机构的合作，以追踪并将他们遣返回国。

根据韩国国家警察厅（NPA）周二向金俊焕议员办公室提交的数据，截至8月12日，已有110名因在其本国或其他国家犯下罪行而被通缉的外国公民逃往韩国。

按国籍划分，中国占比最高，国际刑警组织共发出 40 份请求，占 36%；其次是乌兹别克斯坦（19 份）、蒙古（17 份）和越南（13 份）。其他大多数案件涉及邻近的亚洲国家，包括哈萨克斯坦、俄罗斯、吉尔吉斯斯坦、泰国和日本。

按犯罪类型划分，诈骗罪最为常见，共47起；其次是“其他”类别，包括违反儿童和青少年保护法、绑架、非法拘禁和卖淫等，共29起；毒品犯罪7起；盗窃、违反交通法规、伤害和袭击各5起。

当国际刑警组织请求合作时，日本警察厅会通知对嫌疑人所在地具有管辖权的省级警察机构，以便进行逮捕。今年，该机构的合作人员数量增加了一倍多，从22人增至64人。遣返人数也几乎翻了一番，从去年的13人增至今年8月的24人。

加强国内调查提高了逃往海外的韩国罪犯的逮捕率，因为国际合作遵循互惠原则。

上个月，京畿南部道警察厅逮捕了一名50多岁的中国男子并将其遣返回国。该男子于1997年在中国犯下抢劫和谋杀罪，随后于2017年进入韩国，并以非法移民的身份居住在韩国。

中国当局还追踪到逃往中国的韩国诈骗和语音网络钓鱼嫌疑人，仅去年一年就遣返了 192 人，而每年遣返人数都保持在三位数。

这种合作也延伸到了保护居住在海外的韩国公民。今年，朝鲜人民军将13名逃往韩国的逃犯遣返回蒙古，逮捕率比2025年增长了330%。

随着两国合作的加深，蒙古警方在保护在蒙古的韩国公民方面也变得更加积极主动。

今年2月，一名韩国公民在首都乌兰巴托遭到袭击。当地警方反应冷淡，蒙古人民军要求重新调查并采取纪律处分。随后，蒙古当局惩处了袭击者，并撤换了警察局长。

金警官表示：“在国外犯下重罪的逃犯藏匿在韩国，直接威胁到我国公民的安全，这是一个严重的问题。警方必须增加人员和预算，加大与国际刑警组织合作的力度，才能切实提高对逃犯的抓捕率。”