A South Korean man wanted in the United States for two separate murder cases has been returned from Laos to face charges after spending nearly eight years as a fugitive.
United States authorities announced that Myung Jin Kim, 31, was taken into custody by Lao authorities in late May for immigration violations and was flown back to Los Angeles on 9 June. Officials then transferred him to Santa Clara County, California, where he will first face prosecution.
The case marks the first known return of a wanted fugitive from Laos to the United States, according to U.S. law enforcement officials.
Authorities say Kim was wanted in connection with a 2016 murder-for-hire plot in San José, California, and the fatal shooting of a man in Orange County in 2018.
Investigators allege that Kim arranged the 2016 killing of a targeted victim in San José. However, the suspected hitman allegedly killed the wrong person during the ambush. Police identified Kim as a suspect during the investigation and later issued an arrest warrant, but they were unable to locate him.
Two years later, prosecutors say Kim shot and killed his friend, 26-year-old Christopher Kim, during an argument over money in the parking lot of a CVS store in Westminster, California. Prosecutors charged him with murder and issued another arrest warrant in November 2018.
Further investigation into the San José case led prosecutors to charge Kim in 2020 with murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder for allegedly hiring someone to carry out the killing.
For years, investigators were unable to determine Kim’s whereabouts. In December 2025, authorities received information that he was living in Laos. U.S. agencies then worked with Lao officials and diplomatic partners to locate and detain him.
According to U.S. officials, Lao authorities arrested Kim after discovering he was using fraudulent travel documents. His detention allowed American authorities to arrange his return to the United States.
Federal Bureau of Investigation officials described the arrest as the result of a lengthy international investigation and praised the cooperation between Laos and the United States.
Kim is expected to stand trial first in Santa Clara County for the San José case before being transferred to Orange County to face charges related to the 2018 killing.
