No Korean mafia in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - There is no Korean mafia in Cebu.

This was clarified by Consul General Oh Sung-Yong and Consul Lee Yong-Sang, of the Consulate of the Republic of Korea in Cebu in a press conference at the Police Regional Office-7 yesterday.

Lee, who is also a Korean police attaché, said there is no Korean mafia, but there were more than 20 fugitives hiding in Cebu who were already deported in Korea.

The deported Koreans were facing cases of estafa, physical injuries, and two were accused of serious crimes. One deported last August allegedly committed murder in 2000.

Five or six of those deported, Lee said, were believed to be members of a criminal syndicate in Korea, whom they called Korean gangsters.

He said the individuals were hiding and no regrouping occurred, as monitored by law enforcement agencies.

He also clarified that a mafia exists when there is a criminal group with leader who has 200 or more members and they have their own resources and equipment.

Lee said there are currently 25,000 Koreans in Cebu but half of them are students and only 8,000 to 9,000 are permanent residents here.

Oh, on the other hand, said they will be closely coordinating with PRO-7, National Bureau of Investigation-7 and other law enforcement agencies in Central Visayas, assuring that the Koreans in Cebu are peace-loving people.

PRO-7 Director Noli Taliño, on the other hand, said that as far as they are concerned, they are still validating and verifying the report on the presence of a Korean mafia as announced by President Rodrigo Duterte days ago.

Taliño assured the safety of Koreans as well as other tourists while staying in Cebu.

Meanwhile, Lapu-Lapu City Tourism Officer Hembler Mendoza said their tourism industry would not be affected by the supposed presence of a Korean mafia in Cebu engaging in prostitution and sale of illegal drugs.

“(But) whether it is true or not, I commend our intelligence community for doing their job. But the information needs revalidation. If there is, then with the aid of the Korean Consul, a firm action should be done to quell such syndicates,” he said.

Recently, Chief Inspector Junnel Caadlawon of Lapu-Lapu City Police Office are not yet discounting the possibility of the existence of the alleged group and has yet to know if they are really present in the city.

He said LCPO has been instructed to countercheck the backgrounds of all foreigners, not just Koreans, living within the city.

They were also tasked to visit establishments such as hotels and resorts as well as restaurants owned by foreigners.

Mendoza said the Korean community has a vital role in addressing the concern so that their side can be heard and the supposed presence of a mafia group would be clarified.

“The Korean community has a big part also in addressing the concern (by) report(ing) it to the consulate and to the police,” he said.

The city, which rebranded itself as the “Historic Resort City,” has been one of the top tourist destinations in Central Visayas and has several hotels and beach resorts. (FREEMAN)