Korean face charges for kin’s slay

CEBU, Philippines – Police are preparing to file charges against a Korean tagged in the killing of his wife and two in-laws in Lapu-Lapu City on Friday.

The Lapu-Lapu City police identified Kim Se Wong as the one who allegedly killed his wife Young Mi An and his in-laws Ho An and Kim Soonok inside their restaurant in Barangay Maribago.

Wong was arrested on the second floor of the building where the restaurant is located. He was found with wounds on both wrists and was rushed to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center for treatment.

Investigators found a knife believed used in the killing at the crime scene.

Senior Superintendent Armando Radoc, acting chief of the city police, said they were gathering evidence, including the marriage certificate of the couple, to support the filing of a parricide and multiple homicide charges against Kim.

Aside from the Lapu-Lapu City police, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Region 7 (CIDG-7) will help investigate the incident.

Superintendent Fermin Armendarez III, deputy chief of CIDG-7, said his men have been gathering evidence hours after the killing.

Initial investigation showed the restaurant was supposed to open at 10 a. m. but it remained closed until in the afternoon prompting a friend of the couple and the security guard to call for help.

Responding policemen found the dead bodies of the victims inside the restaurant. The three victims had stab wounds.

Authorities said a struggle might have ensued as some tables and chairs were broken.

Bong Hwan “Charlie” Cho, president of the Cebu Koreans Association (CKA), said the group is keeping an eye on the investigation.

The incident happened just days after the CKA and the CIDG-7 signed an agreement for the police group to entertain concerns involving Korean nationals here.

There are about 30,000 Koreans in Central Visayas, many of whom are tourists or students learning English.