Police arrest man suspected of killing 3 in Philippines

Police apprehended a suspect who allegedly shot three Korean citizens in a sugarcane field in the Philippines last month and announced on Monday that they have requested a pretrial detention warrant.

The suspect, a 33-year-old man surnamed Kim, was apprehended on Friday. His alleged accomplice, a 38-year-old man surnamed Park, was apprehended in the Philippines on Thursday.

The two are accused of shooting three Korean citizens, a 48-year-old man, a 52-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman, in the rural town of Bacolor, northwest of Manila.

According to police, Kim was struggling with debt when his acquaintance introduced him to Park, who reportedly asked him if he was interested in a contract job to kill the three Koreans.

“I’m so stressed because of these people who invested in the casino businesses here,” Park reportedly told Kim. “I’ll pay you 100 million won ($84,360) if you help me get rid of them.”

Park, at the time, was helping the three flee from authorities in Korea after they illegally raised about 15 billion won, in violation of the Act on the Regulation of Conducting Fund-raising Business without Permission. Park provided them housing in the Philippines.

Park reportedly encouraged them to invest in casinos in the Philippines, and killed them with the intention of appropriating their investment money, which amounted to roughly 1 billion won.

According to police, on Oct. 11, Park and Kim threatened the victims with guns, bound them in tape, took them to the sugarcane field in Bacolor and shot them there.

They left two bodies there and buried one nearby.

Police had apprehended Kim in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, on Oct. 19 after he had returned from the Philippines but let him go for lack of evidence.

Kim was investigated again after Park was apprehended in the Philippines, when Kim admitted to the charges against him, police said.

Police will seek to transport Park back to Korea after the judicial proceedings in the Philippines.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]