Authorities double reward for info on fugitive thief

The updated version of the wanted poster for Kim Gil-soo, who is accused for special robbery. Kim has served 6 years in prison for special robbery and rape in 2012.

The Justice Ministry has doubled the reward for information leading to the arrest of fugitive Kim Gil-soo from 5 million ($3,820) to 10 million won.

Besides raising the reward, the ministry on Monday also added additional pictures of Kim, including one where he is donning a new haircut taken at 9:03 p.m. on Saturday.

The 36-year-old Kim is 175 centimeters (5 feet 9 inches) tall and weighs 83 kilograms (182 pounds).

According to the authorities, Kim has changed clothing several times. When he first ran from the authorities, he was wearing a blue medical staff uniform, which he later changed to a beige outfit.

The last picture shows Kim sporting a gray T-shirt covered by a black jacket, black pants, black sneakers and a white mask.

He was last spotted at a bus terminal in Gangnam on Sunday.

Kim has been running from the authorities since he escaped from Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital in Anyang, Gyeonggi, on Saturday, where he was waiting to be treated for abdominal pain.

Kim was sent to the hospital after swallowing the tip of a plastic spoon at Seocho Police Precinct in Gangnam, where he was arrested on robbery charges.

Kim was moved to the correctional facility in Seoul after a court issued a warrant for his detention while the police and prosecutors conducted their investigations.

It was from the Seocho facility that he asked to be sent to the hospital.

Two officers from Seocho Police Precinct accompanied Kim.

According to the authorities, Kim had asked that his handcuff be removed so he could wash his face. Once they were uncuffed, Kim sprinted for the door.

The correction officers reported Kim’s escape at 7:20 p.m., an hour later.

According to the police, Kim, after escaping from the hospital, took a taxi near Beomgye Station in Anyang, which is 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) away, and headed to Uijeongbu Station, where he arrived at 7:47 p.m.

Using the taxi driver’s smartphone, he then called a woman in her 30s, who not only paid for the taxi ride but also handed him 100,000 won.

Kim again took a taxi and met his younger brother near Yangju Station, where he received additional cash and beige clothes. He also got a haircut.

Kim then moved to Seoul, where he traveled to several subway stations, including Danggogae, Nowon, Changdong and Ttukseom Park.

Kim was last seen at Seoul Express Bus Terminal.

Kim was arrested last week on allegations of special robbery, which carries a much more severe penalty. Offenders face a maximum of six years in prison instead of four.

Kim is accused of stealing 740 million won after pepper spraying a man in his 30s on Sept. 11. The two met after Kim promised through social media to exchange currency at a cheaper rate than banks.

Kim also has prior convictions, having served six years for special robbery and rape.

Kim met a woman in her 20s through a dating website in April 2011. Not only did he take 300,000 won from the woman by threatening her with a knife, he also raped her twice.

He was sentenced to six years in 2012. The court had also ordered that Kim be registered on the sex offender list for seven years, disclosing the conviction to the public.

Kim filed a lawsuit against the victim, accusing her of lying. He claimed he merely took back the 300,000 won that he had paid her for sex after she refused.

The court sentenced Kim to four months for making false accusations.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]