Record number of fugitives repatriated from overseas in 1st half: police

Police have repatriated 219 South Korean fugitives from overseas in the first half of this year, a record high that represents a 12.9 percent increase from last year's 194, officials said Wednesday. The National Police Agency attributed the increase to a new fugitive management system that has been in place since February. The system puts fugitives into three categories based on the seriousness of crimes, the possibility of arrest and other factors so as to enable police to focus on core cases. Police said they have apprehended 29 major fugitives in the first four months of the system's launch, including one of the main culprits of the massive fund scandal surrounding Lime Asset Management Co. By country, 49 were brought back from China, 35 from Vietnam, 34 from the Philippines, and 16 from Cambodia. Police plan to continue to use the system to track down fugitives in the second half of the year. Source: Yonhap News Agency