A South Korean national, who was on the run for a decade for allegedly orchestrating a botched murder for hire in California, was finally caught in Laos after his fraudulent immigration papers alerted the authorities.

Myung Jin Kim, 31, was arrested by Laotian officials in May for immigration violations and flown back to California on Wednesday, according to a joint press release by several law enforcement agencies.

On June 27, 2016, in the city of San José, Myung Kim was accused of orchestrating the ambush killing of a man, but the hired hitman ended up killing the wrong person.

San José Police Department police officers responded to a report of a person shot in a residential neighborhood and found 26-year-old Justin Tran dead.

Tran was in his vehicle when he was ambushed by multiple suspects who then fled before police arrived.

Investigators identified four suspects and found the shooting was a targeted killing believed to have been orchestrated by Myung Jin Kim, and a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to officials.

Officials said that despite repeated efforts to apprehend Kim, investigators were unable to locate him.

Two years after Tran was murdered, Kim was arrested on suspicion of dealing drugs and gun charges in Orange County.

While he was out on bail on September 5, 2018, Kim allegedly got into a fight with a friend, Christopher Kim, 26, in a Westminster CVS parking lot over money.

Officials said that Kim shot Christopher Kim six times in front of the victim's girlfriend and ran away. An arrest warrant was issued for Kim for the murder of Christopher.

Years later, in December 2025, investigators learned that Kim was in Laos and began working to return Kim to the US to be prosecuted for the crimes.

By the cooperation of over 15 agencies, including the FBI and authorities in Laos, Kim was successfully brought back and booked into the Anaheim Police Department jail on Wednesday.

'Mr. Kim's cowardly acts of violence finally caught up with him, despite being halfway across the globe,' said Patrick Grandy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office.

'The FBI's Orange County Violent Crime Task Force is proud to assist police departments seeking violent subjects who've fled the jurisdiction, and we will continue these partnerships and those we've developed with countries all over the world to seek justice for victims of violent crime.'

According to officials, Kim's removal marks the first time a wanted fugitive has been returned to the US from Laos.

'Justice knows no borders, and we will go to the literal ends of the earth in the pursuit of justice,' said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.

'It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow. But the long arm of the law of Orange County is coming for you, and there is not a country on earth that is capable of shielding you from our unwavering pursuit of justice.' 

'We believe in consequences for your actions, and you will be held accountable for every crime you commit and for every victim you harm.'

Kim is expected to first face prosecution in Santa Clara County before being returned to Orange County to answer for the charges against him there.