Korean who escaped BI detention arrested in San Juan

MANILA — The Bureau of Immigration on Tuesday said it has arrested a South Korean national who escaped detetion and had been at large for a week.

Authorities identified the South Korean as 38-year-old Kang Juchun, who is wanted for murder and abandonment of a dead body in his home country. 

Kang had been reported missing from the BI's detention center in Taguig City on May 21, after he allegedly took advantage of a blind spot in the facility's surveillance cameras and climbed over its fence.

He was arrested in a condominium unit in Barangay Ermitaño, San Juan City.

“He was limping when our agents arrested him. We suspected that he could have been injured as it was a massive fall on a cemented road,” BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said.

Kang was first arrested last February by immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 after arriving from Bangkok, Thailand.

Two other South Koreans who were found to be harboring Kang were also arrested: Lim Kyung Sup, 43, and Kim Mi Kyung, 39. 

BI noted that both Koreans have been overstaying in the Philippines, with Kim also facing a separate case in Korea.

Lim, Kim, and Kang are also facing drug-related charges after police seized a kilogram of suspected shabu valued at P10.2 million from their possession.

"The trio faces charges in local courts for the illegal substances, as well as deportation charges from BI," the bureau said in a statement.

Meanwhile, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval also said they were reviewing the security measures in their detention facility to avoid a repeat of Kang's escape.

Personnel at the detention center are also being investigated to determine if they had lapses, Sandoval added.

"After the incident tinaasan na po despite mataas na po iyong 20 feet tinaasan na po iyong wall natin at reinforced yung barbed wire para maiwan po ang mga ganitong insidente... Nagdagdag po tayo ng watch tower," she also said.

(After the incident, we further heightened the already high walls of our facility, as well as reinforced its barbed wires to avoid a repeat of this. We have also added watch towers.)

—with report from Robert Mano, ABS-CBN News