'4.6 Billion Embezzlement' Overseas Fugitive, National Health Insurance Service Team Leader, Forced Repatriation to Korea

Forced Deportation Through Incheon International Airport at 5 AM on the 17th

An employee who embezzled 4.6 billion KRW from the National Health Insurance Service and fled to the Philippines was extradited back to South Korea on the 17th.

The National Police Agency announced that Choi (45), who served as the head of the financial management team at the National Health Insurance Service and is accused of embezzling 4.6 billion KRW, was forcibly repatriated through Incheon International Airport around 5 a.m. on the same day.

Choi Mo (center), who is accused of embezzling 4.6 billion KRW while serving as the head of the Financial Management Team at the National Health Insurance Service, was forcibly repatriated through Incheon International Airport around 5 a.m. on the 17th.
[Photo by National Police Agency]

Choi embezzled 4.62 billion KRW by transferring withheld medical fees from 17 medical institutions to his own account over seven occasions starting from April 27, 2022, and then fled to the Philippines. This was the largest amount embezzled internally within the Service. Despite the embezzlement continuing for about five months, it was confirmed that the internal audit system of the Service did not function properly, raising concerns about the absence of an effective management system within the organization.

The police issued an Interpol red notice for Choi and formed a tracking team composed of the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency’s Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit, the Korean Desk, and the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency’s Interpol team. After tracking him for one year and four months, they arrested Choi locally in the Philippines on the 9th.

The suspect’s extradition was carried out faster than initially expected, as it was anticipated that the process would take at least a month due to internal circumstances within the Philippine Immigration Office at the time of arrest.

However, after the suspect showed psychological instability during an interview with a Korean Desk police officer dispatched to the Philippines, Lee Sang-hwa, the Korean Ambassador to the Philippines, and the Korean Desk officer consulted with the National Police Agency’s Interpol International Cooperation Officer and began negotiations with the Philippine Immigration Office for early extradition.

Additionally, the strong public interest in the case and the need for swift extradition for investigation, as expressed by the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency’s Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit and the National Health Insurance Service, were important factors in promoting early extradition.

The police plan to investigate additional charges of concealing criminal proceeds against the repatriated Choi and, if necessary, take measures such as freezing accounts to recover the embezzled funds.

A National Police Agency official stated, “No matter where criminals flee in the world, we will track them down to the end, extradite them to South Korea, and ensure they face justice.”