Korean shot near Manila; main suspect killed, too

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Korean shot near Manila; main suspect killed, too


Another Korean man was fatally shot in the Philippines, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday, bringing the total number killed in the country this year to 10.

A middle-aged man was discovered dead with a bullet wound in his neck and stuffed in a plastic container in Malabon, north of Manila, by Philippine police on July 29, according to the Korean Embassy in Manila.

The local police suspected the dead man to be a Korean and confirmed through fingerprint identification in cooperation with Korean police. The body was that of a 45-year-old man only identified by the surname Lee, said the embassy.

It was suspected that Lee was murdered in a different location and his body moved.

The Philippine police said that the day before Lee disappeared, multiple witnesses claimed that he met with a local man who was known to be a retired Philippine police official.

Police suspected him to be Lee’s killer.

However, the investigation came to a dead end because the main suspect was shot to death shortly after the Korean man.

Police said that the dead suspect may have been linked to a drug ring.

“Through our embassy, we have requested a thorough investigation by the Philippine police and we have relayed the news to the victim’s family,” said a foreign affairs official in Seoul. “We have requested support for funeral preparations there and for the family to attend, and will continue to request a speedy investigation process.”

Last year, 13 Koreans, mostly business owners, were killed in the Philippines, and there were several attempted murders. The crimes usually involved robbery or were some kind of business dispute.

Between 2009 and 2013, 44 percent of some 160 murder cases of Korean nationals abroad occurred in the Philippines, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Earlier this year, a kidnapped Korean female student was discovered dead a month after she went missing after she caught a cab in Pasay City in Metro Manila on March 3.

A 45-year-old Korean business owner surnamed Shin was fatally shot while eating dinner with his family at an outdoor restaurant in Angeles City, a tourist destination north of Manila, by an unknown gunman who escaped on a motorcycle in April.

In July, a 58-year-old man surnamed Bae was killed in the process of fighting off kidnappers in Manila.

The Philippine National Police has a Korean desk to handle crimes involving Koreans.


BY SARAH KIM [sarahkim@joongang.co.kr]

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