Fugitive Child Sex Offender Caught in Ecuador After 20 Years During Investigation

Korea-Ecuador Joint Investigation Operation by Law Enforcement Authorities

A Korean man who was under investigation in South Korea for child sexual abuse charges and whose prosecution was suspended has been arrested in Ecuador after 20 years.

On the 19th (local time), local media such as 'Extra' reported that the Ecuadorian police arrested a Korean man named Lee. The police revealed Lee's photo on their official X account, stating, "We have apprehended one very dangerous man in Guayaquil."

Imo, caught at a shopping center in Guayaquil, Guayas Province, Ecuador [Image source=Ecuador Police]

Lee was under investigation in South Korea for a total of five charges, including violations of the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth against Sexual Offenses and the Information and Communications Network Act, but his prosecution is currently suspended. The prosecution suspends prosecution and temporarily halts investigation when the whereabouts of a suspect with criminal charges cannot be identified.

It is reported that Lee evaded the investigation by illegally entering Ecuador in 2006. Since then, he is known to have been engaged in electronics repair and export business locally.

In this way, Lee avoided the law for decades, but was eventually caught through a joint operation between Korean and Ecuadorian police. Local media reported that "it took nearly 20 years from the issuance of an arrest warrant in Korea to Lee's arrest."

The Ministry of Justice has requested extradition of Lee from the Ecuadorian authorities. It is reported that the Ecuadorian authorities plan to proceed with the procedures to transfer the detainee to South Korea.