Nearly 2,500 convicted criminals remain at large: data

(123rf)

Over 2,000 criminals who fled after being sentenced to jail remain on the run as of June, Ministry of Justice data revealed Wednesday.

A report by Rep. Song Seok-jun of the main opposition People Power Party compiled ministry data on the proportion of convicts' prison terms — with or without physical labor — that have not been served as of June this year. Of the cumulative 4,296 convictions as of January that had yet to be carried out, 2,440 convicts remained at large as of June.

This is mostly due to the convicts fleeing. Data showed 1,135 are currently hiding inside the country, while 1,220 of them have left South Korea.

A total of 229 convicts have escaped justice for at least three years as of June, up from 169 last year.

The failure to apprehend convicts presents a problem for authorities, as there is a limited time for punishments to be executed after sentencing. This is called the period of prescription under Article 78 of the Criminal Act, and varies from one year for punishments of detention or minor fine, to 20 years for life imprisonment.

According to the ministry, 142 criminals saw their period of prescription expire while on the run since 2020, including nine this year. Twenty-one more criminals will escape justice if they are not apprehended within six months.

The arrest rate of escaped convicts hovers at around a 50-60 percent range each year, with this year's figure remaining at 43.9 percent as of June. The numbers from 2020 to 2024 ranged from 54.2 percent in 2021 to 61.9 percent in 2023.

The ministry data showed that an increasing number of convicted criminals have fled to other countries. The figure went up each year from 815 in 2020 to 1,220 as of June.

In addition to the criminals seeing their period of prescription expiring, 240 convicts since 2020 died while on the run from justice, 23 this year.

"Executing the punishment is directly linked to the trust in the justice system. ... Those whose punishment had not been executed could commit additional crime in hiding, which means it is important to capture them early and make sure the punishment is carried out," Song said.