20s Korean Man Arrested for Robbery in the Philippines After Being Allowed to Use Accommodation

Two Korean Men in Their 20s Arrested for Assaulting Fellow Koreans

Two Koreans were arrested by local police in the Philippines for robbing another Korean.

On the 12th, Yonhap News, citing the local daily Philippine Star, reported that the Paranaque City Police near Manila, Philippines, arrested two Koreans, A (28) and B (28), on charges of robbery and coercion.

Two Korean suspects who committed robbery against Koreans in the Philippines were arrested by local police. Photo by Philippine Star

They are accused of taking 140,000 Philippine pesos (approximately 3.36 million KRW) and a mobile phone from the victim, Korean C. C said that he temporarily allowed A, who had no job or accommodation, to stay at his apartment in the area. However, A secretly let B into C’s apartment, and together they assaulted C.

They took 40,000 Philippine pesos (approximately 960,000 KRW) in cash and a casino VIP card, forcibly obtained the casino card password from C, and withdrew 100,000 Philippine pesos (approximately 2.4 million KRW). They did not stop there and returned to C’s apartment to steal additional belongings.

Later, C, who was held captive by them, managed to escape. The police arrested the suspects after receiving C’s report.

A local police official stated in a press release, "Our officers swiftly and effectively apprehended the suspects," adding, "We are committed to protecting everyone in the community, including foreign nationals."

Meanwhile, according to data received by Kim Young-bae, a member of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee (Democratic Party), from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Police Agency last month, 3,181 Koreans suffered from murder, robbery, and other crimes in the Philippines from 2020 to the first half of this year. This is the third highest number of Korean victims in the Asia-Pacific region, following China (6,054) and Japan (3,621). However, the government stated that it has never reached any agreement with the Philippine government regarding a treaty for the protection of overseas nationals.