By Lane Afable, News Editor
A South Korean fugitive wanted for his top involvement illegal online gambling operations was arrested by agents of the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
Lee Jonghak, 37, with a warrant of arrest issued by the Incheon District Court for violations of South Korea’s National Sports Promotion Act related to illegal online gambling operations.
Lee is also a subject of an Interpol Red Notice issued in 2025, stemming from an arrest warrant released on the same year.
BI Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) bared that Lee was arrested in coordination with the Korean National Police Agency and the Philippine National Police–Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group, on Tuesday morning , April 14, at a residence in a subdivision in Pamplona Dos, Las Piñas City.
Intel report cited that Lee was almost like ‘hiding in plain sight’, too confident of his ‘security’ under the probationary permanent resident visa (PPRV) status.
South Korean authorities revealed that from August 2021 until recently, Lee and his accomplices operated at least 23 illegal online gambling websites from different locations.
The group reportedly managed sports betting and casino-style games, recruited members, and facilitated financial transactions, generating over KRW 5.33 billion in profits.
South Korean authorities estimate the syndicate’s total earnings to have exceeded KRW 350 billion.
Lee reportedly served as an assistant manager overseeing multiple operational teams composed of around 300 employees.
The exact amount he personally received remains under investigation.
Records from the BI showed that Lee last arrived in the Philippines in 2024 and was admitted under a PPRV status. He was later included in the Bureau’s blacklist and watchlist as an undesirable alien and fugitive from justice.
Lee is currently undergoing booking and documentation procedures and will be turned over to the BI Warden Facility pending deportation proceedings.
