(TAP) - Vietnamese police have arrested two South Korean suspects who were subject to Interpol Red Notices over allegations of loan sharking. The South Korean authorities have extradited the two individuals back to their home country for further investigation and legal proceedings in accordance with the law.
On February 10, the “Vietnam Government Information” Facebook fanpage confirmed the incident. The two individuals arrested were identified as Jo Jungwoo (born in 1999) and Sim Hyeonjoon (born in 2002), both South Korean nationals. Based on the wanted notice, from July 16, 2024 to September 10, 2025, Jo Jungwoo served as the General Director of an illegally operating private financial organization; he carried out 691 credit transactions with interest rates of up to 49.101%, far exceeding the limit prescribed under South Korean law.
In the same case, from February 1, 2025 to September 10, 2025, Sim Hyeonjoon was involved in managing the operation and directly carried out 503 lending transactions, with interest rates ranging from 28.08% to 49.101%, in serious violation of the statutory interest rate cap. On November 25, 2025, the Ansan Branch of the Suwon District Court (South Korea) issued arrest warrants for the two suspects. On January 9, 2026, Interpol issued Red Notices seeking international assistance in locating and apprehending Jo Jungwoo and Sim Hyeonjoon to serve the investigation and legal proceedings.
In early January 2026, after determining that the two suspects were hiding in Dong Nguyen Ward (Bac Ninh Province), the Director of Bac Ninh Provincial Police instructed professional units to coordinate with the Office of the Investigative Police Agency and the Department of Foreign Relations (under Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security) to implement verification measures and monitor the suspects’ movements. On February 8, Vietnamese authorities successfully arrested the two South Korean suspects. At the police station, Jo Jungwoo and Sim Hyeonjoon admitted to their criminal acts. On the night of February 9, at Noi Bai International Airport, Bac Ninh Provincial Police, in coordination with the Office of the Investigative Police Agency (Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam), completed the procedures to hand over the two suspects to South Korean authorities for extradition to their home country for handling in accordance with the law.
According to Bac Ninh Provincial Police, recently the unit has detected and arrested four internationally wanted individuals, including two Chinese nationals and two South Korean nationals. The timely detection, arrest, and handover of individuals subject to Interpol Red Notices demonstrate the effectiveness of international coordination in the fight against transnational crime, contributing to enhancing the prestige of the Vietnamese police force.
Huynh Nhu