DHAKA: One of South Korea’s most wanted fugitives, the alleged head of a major crime syndicate, was arrested in the Philippines on Tuesday after hiding out in the country for two years, officials said.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Cho Yang-Eun, 63, was arrested by immigration agents, saying he was the leader of a South Korean crime syndicate.

She said in a statement that Cho was ‘head of the Korean mafia, responsible for extorting and threatening fellow Koreans as per info (from the) embassy’.

She did not elaborate. The Straits Times publishes this report on Wednesday.

BDST: 1711 HRS, NOV 26, 2013