South Korean fraud suspect arrested after staying in Phuket

Thai authorities have arrested a South Korean man wanted over an alleged investment fraud after he stayed at several accommodations in Phuket before moving to a luxury condominium in Nonthaburi.

Immigration Bureau Division 6 and Investigation Bureau officers arrested Mr Lim on Sept 3, following a request from South Korean authorities. Officers said he had overstayed his permission to remain in Thailand by 260 days.

South Korean police allege that Lim was a senior figure in an organisation known as “Lucky Nine”, which operated 12 centres and recruited investors by claiming to run a casino business. Investigators allege that investors were placed in a seven-level ranking system and promised commissions ranging from 3% to 21%, depending on the amount invested.

According to the investigators, the money was instead used for overseas online gambling or to repay earlier investors with funds from later investors. More than 100 people are believed to have been affected, with losses exceeding 10 billion won, or about B250 million.

Thai immigration investigators said Lim entered Thailand through Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sept 19, 2025, using a visa that permitted him to stay until Dec 17 that year. After learning that he had left Phuket and was hiding in Nonthaburi, Division 6 officers coordinated with the Investigation Bureau to locate him.

Officers said they found a man matching Lim’s description at the suspected apartment on Sept 3. After identifying themselves and conducting a search with his consent, they confirmed his identity. They also confirmed that he was wanted under South Korean arrest warrants and an Interpol notice.

Three mobile phones, two credit cards, a tablet and other items were seized. Immigration police said the items were believed to have been used in, or obtained through, criminal activity and would be provided to South Korean authorities as they investigate possible accomplices who may have fled to Thailand.

Lim was transferred to investigators for legal proceedings in Thailand. Immigration authorities said he would be deported to South Korea after those proceedings were completed.

Pol Maj Gen Panthana Nuchanart, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, said the arrest reflected cooperation between Thai and international security agencies. He said Thailand would not become a hiding place for fugitives or transnational criminals.