Kazakh National Who Fled After Murder Prosecuted Locally After 20 Years... Led by Ministry of Justice

A Kazakhstani national who killed his employer in South Korea and fled to his home country 20 years ago was recently brought to trial locally following a prosecution request from the Ministry of Justice.

On the 12th, the Ministry of Justice announced that the Kazakhstani prosecution, in response to South Korea’s Ministry of Justice’s prosecution request, detained and indicted Mr. A (49, male), a Kazakhstani national who killed a Korean in South Korea and fled to Kazakhstan, on February 28.

Ministry of Justice, Government Gwacheon Complex. Photo by Choi Seok-jin

Mr. A entered South Korea around November 2003 for employment purposes and is suspected of strangling his employer Mr. B (48, male at the time of death) on May 23, 2004, then disposing of the body by submerging it in a nearby reservoir to conceal the crime.

A few days after the crime, when Mr. B’s body was discovered, Mr. A fled to Kazakhstan.

The Ministry of Justice requested the extradition of Mr. A, but Kazakhstani authorities rejected the extradition request in January 2007, citing the Kazakhstani constitution’s prohibition on extraditing its own nationals.

Accordingly, in January 2009, the Ministry of Justice requested Kazakhstani authorities to prosecute and punish Mr. A locally. Since then, the Ministry has provided investigation records, held multiple working-level consultations, conducted on-site visits, and video conferences to continuously persuade Kazakhstani authorities.

The Ministry of Justice stated, "This case demonstrates that foreign nationals who commit crimes in Korea and flee to their home countries to evade punishment cannot escape the stern judgment of the law, and it exemplifies our government’s strong determination to protect its nationals while upholding justice both domestically and internationally."

Furthermore, the Ministry added, "The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Korea will closely cooperate with Kazakhstani authorities to ensure that criminals receive punishments commensurate with their crimes. We will also strengthen a meticulous cooperation system with foreign authorities and establish case-specific, tailored response strategies so that criminals cannot evade strict legal judgment no matter where in the world they flee."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.