Korean couple gunned down in the Philippines

Another Korean couple was shot to death in the Philippines, confirmed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul on Friday, again in the coastal province of Cavite, 21 kilometers (13 miles) south of Manila. A middle-aged man was shot by an unidentified assailant on the road right outside the couple’s residence early Friday morning, according to the Korean Foreign Ministry. His wife was shot inside the house, where she was discovered dead.

The man, reported to be a 54-year-old surnamed Lee, held Korean nationality. However, his wife, a 47-year-old surnamed Park, was an ethnic Korean with Chinese nationality.

Park called the local police at around 1:30 a.m., which is likely around the time the shooting began. Philippine police are still investigating the fatal shootings to confirm details. Cavite is the same province in which a 64-year-old Korean man surnamed Na and his 60-year-old wife Kim were shot to death in their retirement home by an unidentified gunman on Aug. 19.

Police have yet to find a lead on that case, which was suspected to be an armed robbery. This brings the number of Koreans killed in the Philippines this year to 10, including Korean-Chinese Park, raising questions about how to bolster security for Koreans residing in or traveling to the Southeast Asian country.

The eighth victim this year was a 61-year-old Korean businessman who was fatally shot last month by an unidentified gunman in Angeles City, a tourist destination north of Manila.

The number of Koreans killed in the Philippines has already matched last year, in which 10 were murdered, according the Foreign Ministry. In 2013, 13 were killed.

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, in bilateral talks with his Philippines counterpart Albert F. del Rosario on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, requested cooperation in efforts to protect Korean nationals living in the country.

Likewise, Lee Myung-ryul, director-general of the ministry’s consular affairs bureau, visited the Philippines from Sept. 23 to 25 and met with the police and foreign ministry officials to discuss bolstering security for Koreans living there. There are estimated to be 1.2 million Korean tourists visiting the country each year, and up to 100,000 Korean residents living in the capital Manila region.

The Korean Embassy in Manila requested local police to find the killers of the couple and said it will provide support for the bereaved family members to travel to the Philippines.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]