PNP to build memorial for Jee Ick-joo

MANILA, Philippines — In honor of South Korean Jee Ick-joo, the Philippine National Police will build a memorial marker for the businessman who was murdered in his car at the PNP headquarters at Camp Crame in 2016.

PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. gave South Korean Ambassador Lee Sang-hwa a tour of Camp Crame on Wednesday.

Nartatez said the marker would be installed at the Police Community Affairs and Development Group near the PNP Press Corps office upon the request of Jee’s widow, Choi Kyung Jin.

He said the memorial aims to honor Jee, whose death exposed one of “the darkest chapters in the PNP’s history.”

“We cannot change the past, but we can honor the victim, uphold accountability and reaffirm our commitment that such abuses of authority will never be tolerated again,” Nartatez said in a statement.

Jee was kidnapped by police from his house in Angeles, Pampanga in the guise of a drug bust in 2016, and was strangled to death even after his widow paid P3 million in ransom.

Jee’s body was cremated in a funeral parlor in Caloocan City and his ashes flushed down a toilet.

The convicted mastermind, former police superintendent Rafael Dumlao III, has been arrested. He is serving a life term at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

“While this memorial cannot erase the pain caused by the crime, it symbolizes our willingness to remember, learn from our mistakes and continue strengthening the institution,” Nartatez said.