Korean ‘suffocates’ self inside toilet

CEBU, Philippines - A South Korean national was found dead in an apparent and ‘rare’ suicide at a beach resort in Poblacion, Dalaguete town on Wednesday night.

Sung Hwi Kang, 46, was found dead inside the comfort room of his rented room at Ocean Bay Resort with burnt charcoal near his body and the toilet sealed with tape.

Senior Police Officer 3 Cleto Pia, chief investigator of Dalaguete Police Station, said resort staff who become worried of Sung not going out of his room for the whole Wednesday called the police for help.

Initial investigation showed that the Korean arrived at the resort on June 3 together with his 24-year-old girlfriend, whose name the police are withholding.

The couple checked out of the resort on June 15 but returned on July 2. On the evening of July 15, Sung returned to the resort alone after allegedly meeting with his girlfriend’s family at her house in a mountain barangay in Dalaguete.

It was reportedly starting this point that the Korean would not sleep and eat well despite how many times the resort staff offered him food.

Sung would allegedly walk at the premises of the resort at night time as he could allegedly not sleep.

On Tuesday, he asked a staff to accompany him in buying things at the public market where he bought transparent plastic and packaging tape.

On Wednesday morning, the receptionist noticed that Sung was not around, making her think that the foreigner had finally managed to sleep well.

After lunch, the receptionist sent someone to knock at the door to Sung’s room, but nobody replied. She also sent someone to do the same at past 5 p.m., but there was still no response from the Korean.

When the resort’s guard arrived to report for duty at 7 p.m., the receptionist asked him and another employee to open Sung’s room to check on him. However, Sung was not around.

The guard went to the kitchen where the comfort room was located and tried to open its door, but it was locked, prompting them to call the police.

The police arrived and along with the resort owner and staff saw Sung inside apparently dead already.

According to the police, the door of the toilet was sealed with a transparent plastic and taped from the inside. Ashes and pieces of charcoal on G.I. sheet, a glass of beer, scissors, a mobile phone and a pair of slippers were also found inside the toilet.

“Naay transparent plastic ug tape gi-seal niya sa pultahan, gitaptap tuyok hangtod sa ubos sa semento. Pwerti g’yung bahoa sa uling gidaoban. Naa’y waste na sa uling bag-o pa napalong, gitungtong og sin,” Pia said.

The police also recovered a letter written in Korean and English but Pia said he could only understand the phrase “I love you Ann” written at the bottom of the page.

Pia said initial findings showed that the Korean died of suffocation, but they are still verifying this.

“Di pa mi ka-kuan (determine). Naghuwat pa mi’g result sa autopsy, pero ang SOCO (Scene of the Crime Operatives) di man sila mo-autopsy kung wala’y pagtugot sa kabanay,” he said.

A representative of the Korean Consulate went to the resort after learning about what happened.

Pia said they could not conclude yet that the victim, who might have been depressed, committed suicide, although there is a big possibility based on the circumstances of his death.

“Posible nga wala bakaha ni maglalis sa uyab nga wala na man mopakita,” the police officer further surmised, adding that this has been his first time to encounter such form of suicide in his 19 years in the police service.— Bryner L. Diaz/NSA (FREEMAN)