A fugitive who fled to South Korea after allegedly stabbing a young man to death over “a perceived instance of disrespect” in Queens more than 24 years ago was finally shipped back to the Big Apple to face justice, prosecutors said.
Ho “Alex” Shin, now 43 – who told acquaintances he “needed to get out of town” after the brutal knifing of Hyun Dae Kim, 22, inside a Flushing apartment Jan. 6, 2002 – is now back in the city facing a murder rap, according to the Queens DA’s Office and the NYPD.
Shin allegedly unleashed the brutal attack on Kim inside an apartment at 153rd Street and 35 Avenue in Flushing around 5:10 a.m. Jan. 6, 2002, according to the NYPD.
Shin and Kim were part of a group who had just enjoyed a night out and then gathered at a female friend’s apartment, prosecutors said.
At some point, Shin briefly left the apartment and called a 16-year-old boy to come to the scene, telling him to bring two knives, the DA’s office charged.
When Shin returned alongside the teen, the pair burst into the apartment and began stabbing Kim multiple times, prosecutors said.
The deadly attack was in retaliation for “a perceived instance of disrespect that took place earlier in the night,” according to the DA’s office.
Kim’s friend Hyun Suk Yu, tried to intervene, prompting Shin to stab him as well, prosecutors said.
Both young men were rushed to the hospital, where Kim, of Babylon, Suffolk County, succumbed to his injuries, and Yu survived.
The 16-year-old suspect was arrested the same day and charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon, cops said.
But Shin took off, evading capture until local authorities caught up to him in December of 2025, the DA’s office said.
He was shipped back to New York by the U.S. Marshals Service on Thursday, prosecutors said.
Shin was arraigned Friday on an indictment charging him with two counts of second-degree murder, second degree attempted murder, two counts of first-degree assault, second-degree assault and two counts of fourth degree criminal possession of a weapon, according to the DA’s office.
He was remanded by Supreme Court Justice Jessica Earle-Gargan and ordered to return to court on February 17, prosecutors said.
If convicted, Shin faces 50 years to life behind bars.
“No matter how much time passes, we do not give up on our victims and their families,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. “Through steadfast collaboration with our federal and international law enforcement partners — including authorities in South Korea — my Extraditions Unit and Homicide Bureau located the defendant abroad and secured his return to Queens.”
