78.2 F
Los Angeles
Monday, July 14, 2025

ICE Deports Korean American Parolee to South Korea Amid South Sudan Confusion

A Korean American man identified as K, who was paroled in April after serving 25 years in prison for murder, was deported to South Korea—not South Sudan, as falsely reported by some media outlets. The claim that he was sent to Africa has now been proven incorrect by official records and consular statements.

ICE agents arresting a person during an immigration raid, with officers in vests on each side

K had been taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immediately after his release and was initially listed for deportation on a May 20 flight to South Sudan. However, he was removed from the passenger list shortly before departure and transferred to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington.

On June 27, he departed Seattle on a Delta Air Lines flight to Incheon International Airport in South Korea, accompanied by two ICE agents. His father told The Korea Daily, “We were informed by the Seattle Consulate General that my son’s departure to South Korea was scheduled for June 27. I’m relieved he was sent to Korea.” He added that Consul Hyunseok Kim had personally delivered K’s passport to ICE in early June and even visited his son in detention. The father traveled ahead to South Korea on June 9 to prepare for his son’s arrival.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that eight other detainees were placed on the May charter flight to South Sudan. Only one of them held South Sudanese nationality. Due to procedural concerns, the group was held temporarily at a U.S. military base in Djibouti before being allowed entry into South Sudan.

BY HANKIL KANG [kang.hankil@koreadaily.com]

- Advertisement -
Hankil Kang
Hankil Kang
Hankil Kang provides in-depth coverage of Korean-American community affairs in the United States, with a particular emphasis on the greater Los Angeles. Kang reports on culture, entertainment, and stories from college campuses. Kang earned a BA in Public Relations and an MA in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Georgia.