Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Bereaved wife of murdered Korean in Philippines seeks foreign ministry's help
White flowers of condolence are placed before the photo of late Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo during a memorial ceremony commemorating the seventh anniversary of his death at the Philippines National Police headquarters in Quezon City, Oct. 18. Jee was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by Filipino police officers in October 2016. Screenshot from GMAN Philippines-Connecting Together's YouTube
By Lee Hae-rin
The bereaved family of a Korean businessman, Jee Ick-joo, allegedly kidnapped and killed by Filipino police officers at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters seven years ago, turned to Foreign Minister Park Jin for help in ascertaining the truth and deliver justice.
Choi Kyung-jin, the wife of the late businessman, who still resides in the Philippines to hold rogue officials accountable for the alleged murder, sent a letter to the minister by registered mail, according to Yonhap News Agency, Monday.
“My husband was kidnapped and strangled to death by police officers at the headquarters of the Philippine National Police. His body was cremated at a funeral home and flushed down the toilet, so that his remains cannot be found,” Choi wrote in her letter, explaining that no help was given and she had to hire private detectives to collect evidence.
Choi also criticized the Philippine authorities’ handling of the case.
“Around 15 suspects, including a senior NBI official, were brought to court at the beginning of the trial, but most of them were acquitted due to a lack of evidence,” or “died of chronic illness,” before being sentenced, she said.
Only two, Police Chief Master Sergeant Ricky Santa Isabel and former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent Jerry Omlang, were sentenced to life in prison by the Angeles City Regional Trial Court on June 6.
The alleged mastermind, Police Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Dumlao, was acquitted by the court after the prosecution failed to prove his guilt, according to Choi, to which the bereaved family has filed an appeal.
“The trial is now over, but the case is still covered up and the truth remains hidden. There was no compensation,” Choi wrote, underscoring the need to ascertain the truth and offer compensation to protect Korean nationals residing in foreign countries from being targeted by criminals and to prevent a recurrence of Jee’s case.
Jee, who worked for the Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries, was murdered at the PNP headquarters in Quezon City after being abducted from his home in the suburb of Angeles City on Oct. 18, 2016.
According to the Philippine Department of Justice, the law enforcement officials, led by an anti-narcotics representative Santa Isabel, detained Jee saying that they were searching his home for drugs during President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
However, the department found out that the officers actually intended to extort ransom money from his family under the pretense that he was alive. Choi had paid them the equivalent of $100,000 on Oct. 31, 12 days after Jee’s death.
No evidence indicating Jee’s involvement in drugs was found.
A total of 63 Korean nationals were murdered in the Philippines since 2012. This is the first time that a local court sentenced suspects involved in those murders to prison terms.
In response, Korea’s foreign ministry plans to offer consular assistance necessary for the bereaved family, the ministry said in a statement released on Monday.