By Kang Seung-woo
Three Koreans ― two males and one female ― have been found shot dead in the Philippines, the foreign ministry said, Thursday.
The number of Koreans killed in the Southeast Asian country has reached six so far this year.
“Three Koreans were found dead with gunshot wounds to their heads on Tuesday morning near a sugar cane farm in Bacolor,” a ministry official said.
The small town of Bacolor, with a population of 20,000, is about 75 kilometers northwest of Manila.
“Along with the gunshot wounds, one male victim was found to have his legs bound with tape, while the body of the female was found at a distance from the two others with her wrists tied,” the official added.
According to the ministry, the Philippines’ Criminal Investigation Bureau sent their fingerprints for verification to Korea and the National Police Agency confirmed that they are all Koreans in their 40s and 50s.
However, the ministry has no clues as to the motive for the triple homicide.
“The Korean embassy in Manila is working closely with local police to figure out the exact circumstances of their death,” the official said.
Koreans have increasingly been targets of crime in the Philippines of late.
According to the foreign ministry, 12 Koreans were killed there in 2013, followed by 10 in 2014 and 11 in 2015.
In May of this year, a 57-year-old Korean missionary, surnamed Shim, was killed after being attacked with a blunt weapon inside his home, and a 32-year-old man was shot dead in the Philippines.
Amid increasing crimes against Korean people, the ministry has installed a “Korean Desk” with the Philippine National Police to better tackle Korean-targeted crime.