Korean police to enhance cooperation with Chinese police

Mr. Kim committed a series of fraud in March 2011. He collected 65 people to invest in his project to make a service to allow people to use the "public transportation card mileage," which is supposed to add up every time a payment is made. He convinced that the card company has tens of trillions won of unreturned cash, and that he will pay back the money with 30 percent interest. He fled to China in May the same year and was finally caught in three and a half years. “Many criminals choose the neighboring China as their shelter,” a police official said. “Kim fled to China because his girlfriend is a North Korean defector who has many friends in China.”

The Korean police department announces on Tuesday that they will reinforce cooperation with Chinese police in order to block criminals fleeing to China. National Police Agency chief Kang Shin-myung held a meeting with China's Deputy Public Security Minister Meng Hongwei in Beijing on the same day, and the two pledged enhanced cooperation to crack down criminals at large in both countries. The two nations signed an agreement in June 2013, and have been exchanging arrested criminals requested by each other’s government. From 2013 to 2015, 100 criminals with Korean nationality were sent back to homeland from China, and 26 Chinese perpetrators were sent from Korea.

China is the second most frequent destination for criminals after the U.S. According to the Justice Ministry of Korea, annually around 80 suspects escape to China during investigation. Cho Hee-pal, the notorious scammer of the time, also smuggled to the country in December 2008, and his whereabouts had not been unknown until his right arm, Kang Tae-yong (54), was arrested recently.

The number of lawbreakers who are moving their base to China is also on the rise. One police official said that China is a good place for criminals to hide in as there are many Korean residents and the Chinese people have relatively similar looks.

An increased collaboration between the two countries would prevent those "wanted" in China from sneaking into Korea. In 2013, a Korean-Chinese murder suspect was arrested in Korea after committing additional crimes. In September last year, a Chinese woman who fled to Korea after being charged with tax evasion turned out to have married with a Korean male after receiving plastic surgery. The Korean police said that most Chinese fugitives live under water without disclosing their identities, but are highly likely to commit crimes again in Korea.”

The police plans to expand bilateral cooperation in various other areas starting with the agreement. Police Chief Kang pledged that they would continue to make efforts to let the criminals know they cannot get away wherever they go. He said, "Bilateral cooperation will ensure safety for both Korean and Chinese citizens by providing prompt information and taking appropriate measures on criminal cases against each other’s nationals, especially as people to people exchanges are increasing.”

박훈상기자 tigermask@donga.com