South Korean national Jang Junseok (Photo courtesy of BI)
MANILA – Immigration authorities arrested a South Korean national wanted in his home country for a string of criminal cases due to alleged involvement in counterfeit currency trading worth over 30 million Korean won (around PHP1.2 billion).
In a statement Friday, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said 26-year-old Jang Junseok was intercepted by officers from the border control and intelligence unit (BCIU) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 after attempting to board a Philippine Airlines flight to Busan on April 7.
The foreigner was arrested after his name prompted a hit on the BI’s derogatory list indicating that he is subject of a watchlist order from the bureau, as well as of a red notice issued by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).
BI-Interpol Unit acting chief Jaime Bustamante said Jang has a warrant of arrest issued by the Daegu District Court in South Korea on Feb. 28, in relation to a counterfeit currency possession and trading case was filed against him.
South Korean authorities said Jang is a professional counterfeit currency user who forged local bank notes, used them at will and engaged in acts that disrupted social order.
Jang reportedly has six prior convictions for the same criminal offense but was released on parole in 2023.
While on parole, the suspect allegedly continued to forge bank notes and used a pseudonym to cheat his victims who were offered the fake bank notes at lower prices compared to the genuine notes.
The foreigner was brought to the BI warden facility at Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City pending deportation proceedings. (PNA)
