Korean Ji Ik-joo Killed by Philippine Police in 2016
Only 2 of 14 Suspects Guilty... Police Main Culprit Acquitted
The family of the late Ji Ik-ju, who was kidnapped and murdered by local police in Angeles, Philippines seven years ago, has requested Foreign Minister Park Jin to help uncover the truth.
Widow Choi Kyung-jin sent a letter directly to Minister Park via registered mail at the post office, expressing her pain.
Portrait photo of the late Ji Ik-ju at the 7th anniversary memorial service held on the 8th. [Photo by Yonhap News]
According to a report by Yonhap News on the 30th, Choi wrote in the letter, "My husband was kidnapped from our home by active-duty police officers, strangled to death in the police station parking lot, then cremated, and his ashes were even flushed down the toilet in the restroom," adding, "This is a heinous and outrageous crime."
She also said, "With no one to help, I did everything I could to find my husband, collecting evidence with all my might and even hiring a detective. Later, I lived in hiding due to threats to my safety while preparing for the trial, enduring hellish times listening to the criminals’ lies. It was a pain that felt like cutting bones and tearing out my heart," she added.
Choi also criticized the Philippine authorities’ handling of the case.
She explained, "At the beginning of the trial, there were about 15 suspects, including a senior official of the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), but most were released due to insufficient evidence, and the number of suspects was reduced to five."
Among the five remaining suspects, two were released as state witnesses or died from chronic illnesses, and in the ongoing trial, two of the remaining three were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Choi reported that the former senior police official, who was effectively identified as the main culprit, was acquitted.
She claimed, "The Philippine government tried to scapegoat from the beginning," and lamented, "I spend every day in tears due to depression and excessive stress."
She continued, "Although the trial has ended, the case has been covered up and the truth has not been revealed. We have not even received compensation," and earnestly appealed to Minister Park, "I sincerely ask the Korean government to step in to resolve my husband’s injustice and my pain."
She also emphasized, "The reason why uncovering the truth and compensation are essential is that it will serve as a shield to prevent Koreans from easily becoming targets of crime."
A total of 57 Korean murder cases in the Philippines since 2012... 63 deaths
Previously, Choi’s husband Ji Ik-ju was kidnapped and murdered by Philippine police at his home in Angeles on October 18, 2016. This case shocked not only the Korean community but also many Filipinos.
The fact that active-duty police kidnapped and murdered an innocent Korean, along with the cruel and meticulous methods revealed during the investigation, horrified many.
Additionally, 12 days after the incident, an unidentified person, unaware that Choi’s husband had been killed, demanded ransom from her and extorted 5 million pesos (approximately 119 million KRW).
The Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG), which handled the investigation, identified 14 suspects and sent them to the prosecution.
However, the prosecution ultimately indicted only five of them on charges including hostage-taking, murder, and vehicle theft.
Over about five years and eight months, with 84 hearings held, Roy Villegas, a member of the PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG), was selected as a state witness and released in January 2019.
Gerardo Santiago, the owner of the crematorium, died from COVID-19.
Eventually, in the first trial held on June 6 this year, the court sentenced Santa Isabel, a former police officer of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Group, and Jerry Omlang, a former NBI informant, to life imprisonment.
However, the court acquitted Rafael Dumlao, Isabel’s superior and former team leader of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Group, who was identified by the prosecution as the mastermind, raising questions about the verdict and the investigation in local media.
At the time, Choi, who appeared in court, fainted in shock when Dumlao was acquitted, and Korean community members nearby shed tears in sympathy.
Since 2012, there have been a total of 57 Korean murder cases in the Philippines, with 63 deaths.
However, the Ji Ik-ju murder case is the first in which a prison sentence was handed down through a formal trial.
After her husband’s death, Choi remained alone in the Philippines and made strenuous efforts to uncover the truth and punish the perpetrators.
In a phone interview with the media, Choi said she returned to Korea on August 26 but was unable to meet Minister Park and instead met with a director-level official in charge of overseas Korean citizen protection.
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