110 Fugitive Criminals Hiding in South Korea, 36% Chinese Nationals; Man Wanted for 1997 Tianjin Robbery-Murder Deported
This article organizes publicly available information into a single account. Where it describes an arrest or an ongoing investigation, that reflects only one stage of criminal procedure and does not mean guilt has been established (the presumption of innocence applies). We will update this article as new information becomes available, including the outcome of prosecution, non-prosecution, or trial. This article is not intended to unfairly disparage any individual, group, nationality, ethnicity, or belief, and aims to provide objective, fact-based information.
Data submitted by South Korea's National Police Agency to the National Assembly on September 8, 2026 showed that 110 foreign nationals who committed crimes overseas and then fled to South Korea to hide were at large as of August 12. According to the Herald Corporation and other outlets, Chinese nationals made up the largest group at 40 people (36%), followed by 19 from Uzbekistan, 17 from Mongolia, and 13 from Vietnam, with the remainder including nationals of Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand and Japan, among others.
By type of alleged offense, fraud was the most common at 47 people (43%), followed by 29 for other offenses including violations of laws protecting children and adolescents, kidnapping and confinement, and prostitution-related crimes; 7 for drug offenses; and 5 each for theft, road traffic violations, and assault. As a notable example, the report cited a Chinese man in his 50s who committed a robbery-murder in Tianjin, China in 1997, entered South Korea in 2017, and had been living there as an illegal resident before being apprehended last month and deported to China.
Current status: South Korea's National Police Agency has reportedly expanded its staff dedicated to international cooperation from 22 to 64 through a reorganization, and the number of fugitives extradited through Interpol-mediated requests has nearly doubled, from 13 last year to 24 as of August this year. The police's plans for handling the remaining fugitives remain unclear as of this writing. This article will be updated as further details emerge.
While not directly related to Japan, cases in which people who committed crimes abroad flee to another country to hide are an international challenge, and Japan has also seen cases of foreign national suspects fleeing the country (related coverage). How criminals move across borders internationally, and how countries structure their mutual cooperation frameworks, is a topic relevant to Japan's own immigration and police administration as well.
Editorial Perspective
The Technical Intern Training Program is set to be replaced by the new Employment for Skill Development system in April 2027 (related article), and developments like this one can be seen as part of the institutional design process during that transition. Expanding acceptance also requires resolving practical issues such as broker problems in sending countries and building proper oversight systems among accepting employers. For the new system to work as intended rather than merely on paper, it will be important to continue examining how it actually operates once implemented.