Fugitive Wanted for Brutal Attack on His Girlfriend in 2010 Arrested Following Deportation from Korea

LOS ANGELES—The FBI’s Fugitive Task Force arrested a South Korean man believed to have fled the United States in 2010 after severely burning and beating a woman in Los Angeles, announced Bill L. Lewis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

According to a federal criminal complaint filed in United States District Court in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department obtained an arrest warrant for Min Kyu Kim, 33, a former resident of Los Angeles, after he was identified as the suspect in an attack on his then-girlfriend in early 2010.

According to the federal complaint and to LAPD detectives investigating the assault case, the victim suffered severe burns to her arms and back when Kim poured a pot of boiling water on her. The complaint further alleges that Kim beat the victim with his fists and with the pot that contained the boiling water when she attempted to escape.

In January 2010, Kim was charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney with one count of domestic abuse; one count of assault with a deadly weapon; and one count of false imprisonment. Kim, who later posted bond and was released from jail, was scheduled to appear in court for trial on August 20, 2010. When Kim failed to appear for trial, a $500,000 bench warrant for Kim was issued in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Investigators determined that Kim fled to Seoul, South Korea, shortly before his trial was scheduled to begin and evidence indicates that he has likely been residing there since departing the United States.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office subsequently agreed to extradite Kim, and members of the FBI’s Fugitive Task Force assisted in apprehending Kim overseas based on a request from the LAPD.

In August 2013, a federal warrant for Kim was obtained after he was charged in the federal criminal complaint with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution (UFAP).

The Fugitive Task Force worked with the United States Department of Justice, the United States Department of State, and the South Korean government in order to have Kim deported from South Korea last week. Kim was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, September 6, by members of the Los Angeles Fugitive Task Force, which is composed of agents and officers with the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department.

Kim was turned over to the custody of the Los Angeles Police Department and is expected to be arraigned in Los Angeles Superior Court on the state’s charges. It is anticipated that the United States government will dismiss the federal warrant charging Kim with UFAP and that Kim will be prosecuted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The fugitive investigation was the result of cooperation by the FBI and the LAPD’s Major Assaults Crime Unit, whose members conducted the assault investigation.

The FBI continues to work with local law enforcement to apprehend violent criminals charged with state crimes who then flee the jurisdiction interstate or internationally. Photos and descriptions of many fugitives wanted by the FBI can be found at www.fbi.gov.

Media Contact:
FBI Los Angeles: 310 996-3343