Diplomat warns of Korean assassins in Phl

MANILA, Philippines - A diplomat in Seoul has raised an alarm over Korean criminals going to the Philippines to assassinate fellow Koreans living here.

It is a “very serious problem,” according to Second Secretary Shin Cheolbeom of the Southeast Asia Division of South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Shin, in an interview in Seoul last week, told The STAR that these Korean criminals are reportedly tapping Filipino hired guns to go after their targets.

Just this year, seven South Koreans have been murdered in the Philippines, according to Shin.

“A lot of Korean criminals are going to the Philippines. A Korean could hire Filipino gunmen to kill their fellow Koreans. That’s a very serious problems,” he said.

“We don’t know if those killed this year were assassinated by hired killers but that could be a possibility,” he said.

Shin, who is Seoul’s desk officer for the Philippines, granted the interview during last week’s Asian Journalists Project sponsored by the Korean Culture and Information Service.

“This is one of the concerns and obstacles we have to (Korean) tourism in the Philippines,” he said. “Some Koreans might think the Philippines might be a dangerous place.”

Shin cited that there were 1.03 million Koreans who visited the Philippines last year. He said the number has been increasing by 15 percent per year.

According to Shin, a lot of Koreans go to the Philippines not just to learn English but also because of its proximity to their county.

“It’s very close and there is a lot to see (in the Philippines),” he said.